All In The Family
by vamp926
Summary: Jethro Gibbs and Anthony DiNozzo are the mob bosses for the local mob in DC. Throw in a new threat, and you've got trouble on your hands. Tiva, McAbby, implied Jibbs. X-over with Bones in later chapters. AU. Rated M.
1. In The Beginning

**So, this is an AU story, as you will see right away and it is based on this picture (http:// photobucket .com/ albums/ oo318/ vamp926/ Cast_S6_HQ_n_2 .jpg), make sure you take the spaces out of the link. Also, please remember that this is AU, so some of that character's might seem a little OOC. Also, I kind of make a crossover and reference another ship in later chapter's, we'll see if you can figure it out. **

**Rating: Rated M for mature content: Scenes of explicit sexual nature, explicit language, scenes of violence**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own, CBS does. But I don't like what CBS is doing with them, so I took them out of CBS's sandbox and put them in mine. Problem is, they might not like it there.**

**Enjoy!**

**Oh, P.S., I am using everyone's full name, with the exception of Ducky and McGee. Timothy is being shortened to Tim, but other than that I will use everyone's full names (i.e. Abigail, Anthony, Jethro)**

Chapter 1 - In the Beginning

Being a mob boss is not everything one would expect. It was hard work, keeping track of everyone, protecting everyone; but that was something Jethro Gibbs gladly did. Now, Gibbs might not sound like a very good mob name, but Jethro had not always been the head honcho. His best friend, Sal DiNozzo, had recently died, leaving him in charge of the business. His friend's son, Anthony DiNozzo, was his right hand man. He was a tough guy, who had been a cop until that it was discovered that he was the son of the famous mobster. Jethro also had a daughter, Abigail, who had faithfully stuck by her father no matter, what. Her mother had died as a result of Jethro and his involvement in the mob, but Abigail didn't hold that against him. She frequently helped her father attract business with her looks. She was tall, and dyed her hair black on a regular basis, and she was covered in tattoos', which men seemed to find attractive.

There was also another member of the mob who Jethro held very near and dear; the sensational Dr. Donald Mallard. Sal had hired him back when he started the mob as the doctor, because the injuries that the members of the mob sustained were too suspicious for them to go to the emergency room for. So various members would present themselves to the wise doctor and listen to his stories as he stitched them up.

In the main house, where practically everyone in the DiNozzo mob lived, there was a round table in the center of the foyer. Upon this table always stood a white vase that always housed red roses; every week the maid would switch out the roses for fresh ones, but there were always roses. Always, until one day, the vase was broken.

But we'll save that story for the end.

* * *

"Boss, we need a tech guy," were the first words out of Anthony DiNozzo's mouth when he approached his boss. Jethro looked up at him and frowned.

"Why?" Jethro asked as he went back to reading his paper.

"Well, let's face it. You and I are no good at the whole computer thing, and Abs isn't always around. I think we should hire a tech guy," Anthony stressed. Jethro looked at him over his newspaper.

"Tell you what, you and Jimmy go look. If you find one you think you can trust, you bring him back here so I can interview him," Jethro said.

"Interview who?" Abigail said as she walked out onto the veranda and leaned over to hug her father.

"Anthony thinks that we need a tech guy," Jethro said, kissing his daughter on her cheek. She sat down at the table next to Anthony and began picking fruit out of a bowl. Jethro glared at her, and she sighed and picked up a fork.

"Have you heard about the new mob that moved into town?" Abigail asked casually. This comment caused her father to put his paper down.

"Why?" Jethro asked. He knew that no well standing mob would never move, so he was instantly suspicious.

"Don't know," Abigail said casually. "I just know that they're here."

"How did you find out?" Jethro asked.

"Ziva," Abigail replied.

Ziva David was an Israeli assassin that both Sal and Jethro had hired on occasions. Her father was the Deputy Director of Mossad, making her untouchable. She mostly freelanced, but had recently become exclusive only to them. Jethro had a sneaking suspicion that this was because Anthony was sleeping with her, but that was beside the point.

"What's the boss' name?" Anthony asked.

"Leon Vance," Abigail replied.

"I've heard of him, isn't he from the San Francisco area?" Anthony asked Jethro.

"Yes, and I believe that we should pay Mr. Vance a visit," Jethro said.

* * *

Timothy McGee was a geek. There were simply no other words for it. He worked for the FBI in the crypto unit and was the top genius. Although he was a geek, he was a very masculine geek. He had originally been trained as a field agent, until the FBI had learned of his computer skills, therefore making him the only geek in the sub-basement with a gun. He was occasionally called upon to work in the field when a team was missing a member.

Timothy was currently at lunch at the Panera's down the street from the Hoover Building. He was eating his Cuban Panini peacefully. That was, until two shadows fell over his table. He looked up and saw two men. One of them was probably his age and had messy brown hair and was wearing black jeans and a black leather jacket over a black polo shirt. The other man was slightly shorter, had glasses, but was dressed in a similar ensemble.

"Can I help you?" Tim asked, fingering his gun underneath his jacket. These two looked like no good.

"Are you Timothy McGee?" the first man asked. He must have been in charge.

"Yes, who's asking?" Tim replied.

"I'm Anthony DiNozzo, and this here is Jimmy. Our boss would like a word with you. Word on the street is that you're the best tech guy in the business," Anthony said.

"I've heard of you," Tim said. "Your dad was Sal DiNozzo, the famous mob boss, wasn't he?"

"What's it to you?" Anthony growled. He was very sensitive on the subject of his father.

"Nothing, just a question," Tim said. He relaxed his hand from his gun, but kept it near, just in case. He could immediately tell that Anthony was packing, there was a small bulge at his waist that most likely held a holster and gun, and Tim could see the outline of an ankle holster. The other guy, Jimmy, just seemed to only be carrying a sidearm.

"You do realize that I work for an armed federal agency, right?" Tim said, astounded that they would even approach him, especially since it was for the mob.

"Yeah, your point?" Anthony said. "Listen, you don't have to do anything illegal, and if you get fired, we'll hire you and match your salary plus four thousand extra." Tim thought very carefully.

"When do I meet your boss?" Tim asked. Anthony handed him a piece of paper.

"Be on time, the boss hates people who are late," Anthony said, and then he and Jimmy took off.

* * *

Ziva opened her eyes to the sound of knocking on her door. She glanced at the clock and rolled her eyes. She knew it was probably Anthony. She rolled out of bed and treaded down the hall, wearing nothing but an oversized button up shirt. She looked through the peephole and confirmed that it was Anthony. She opened the door and found him leaning against the doorframe, looking better than any man had a right too.

"What do you want, Anthony?" Ziva asked, stepping aside as he walked through the open door. As she shut the door she caught site of Jimmy standing at the end of the hallway. "And why is Jimmy with you?"

"We we making some business calls, babe," Anthony said. "Get dressed; the boss wants you to go with us to meet the new mob in town."

"And since when is he my boss?" Ziva asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Anthony.

"Well, you don't work for anyone but us anymore, so he might as well be your boss," Anthony replied as he sat down on Ziva's couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. Ziva rolled her eyes and went over and knocked Anthony's feet off of the table.

"What do you want me to wear?" Ziva asked.

"That black suit," Anthony said.

Twenty minutes later, Ziva was dressed in a sleek black suit. The jacket had a plunging neckline, and Ziva had nothing on underneath it except a sheer lacy tank top, and a black lace bra. On her feet were black high heels; her hair was pulled back into a sleek knot and she had smudged black eyeliner and eye shadow on her eyes, and a shade of lipstick that was slightly darker than red. When Anthony saw her, his eyes lit up.

"God, babe, you never cease to amaze me," Anthony said. He kissed the back of her neck, taking a moment to suck gently, and he could feel Ziva squirm beneath him.

"Are you ready?" she asked, managing to pull away from him. She walked over to the hall table where her cell phone and clutch resided.

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

**So, I hope you all like this. It was a spontaneous idea, and I thought it was an interesting take on the picture. Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Vamp**


	2. The Meetings

Chapter 2 - The Meeting

Anthony, Ziva, and Jimmy met Jethro and Dr. Mallard (or Ducky as they all affectionately called him) at the building that Ziva said was now the headquarters for Vance's operation. The building looked like a huge warehouse, but they knew that it was actually a block of renovated apartments.

"This place is really expensive," Anthony remarked as they exited the black Cadillac CTS.

"Well, Anthony, he's a mob boss, I'm sure he can afford it," Jethro said as he and Ducky got out of their own car. The five walked to the door and Anthony rung the bell, and then allowed Jethro to step in front of him.

"Where's Abigail?" Anthony asked Ducky under his breath.

"Jethro wanted her to stay at home, didn't want Vance knowing about her yet. He's trying to protect her, especially after what happened to her mother," Ducky whispered back.

The door of the apartments open and a big beefy man appeared.

"Can I help you?" he asked, looking at the five with interest.

"I'm Jethro Gibbs, we're here to see your boss," Jethro said.

"He's been expecting you," the man said. The five looked at each other but followed the man inside. He led them down a hallway and into a room, whose door was open. Sitting at a desk in the center of the room was the man they presumed to be Vance.

"Jethro Gibbs, I've heard a lot about you," Vance said.

"Which is funny, because I've heard nothing about you," Jethro said. Anthony had moved up to flank his right side, while Jimmy had taken Jethro's left. Ziva stood slightly behind Anthony, and Ducky, behind Jimmy, making it clear that they were there to protect their boss and intimidate.

"Fair enough," Vance said. "I knew Sal though." Jethro could feel Anthony stiffen next to him, and he nudged him conspicuously. "Who are they?"

"This is Anthony, Sal's son," Jethro said, motioning to Anthony. "And behind him is Ziva, our contract assassin."

"Eli David's daughter?" Vance interrupted.

"None of your business," Ziva said tightly as her smoky eyes narrowed. She too, was sensitive about the subject of her father.

"And this is Jimmy, and our family doctor, Dr. Mallard," Jethro continued.

"This is Butch," Vance said, motioning with his head to the man that had shown them inside. "And everyone else is busy moving in."

"Let's cut to the chase," Jethro said, tired of pretending to be nice. "Why are you here?"

"Wanted a change of scenery," Vance said. Jethro studied the man carefully. He knew that he would have to watch out, that the new mob boss standing before him was dangerous.

"Mobs don't just up and move," Anthony pointed out, which earned him another nudge from Jethro.

"You're right, they don't," Vance said. "There were problems in San Francisco. We were in a war and a few of my men were killed. We decided to move to safer territory."

"You think our territory is safer?" Jethro asked in disbelief. This man had no idea what he was up against.

* * *

Tim McGee stood outside the fancy Georgetown house. It was more of a mansion than a house, and there were several nice looking cars parked out front, including the Cadillac that Anthony and Jimmy had been driving earlier. Tim took a deep breath and rang the door bell. A woman with black hair and a spider web tattoo on her neck answered the door.

"Yes?" she asked, looking Tim up and down.

"Uh, I'm here to see Jethro Gibbs," Tim said nervously. "Anthony told me to be here."

"Oh, you're the tech guy they're interviewing," the woman said. "Come on in." The woman stepped aside and allowed Tim to walk through the door. He looked around in amazement. "I'm Abigail; by the way, I'm Jethro's daughter."

"Nice to meet you," Tim said. "I'm Timothy McGee, but most people call me Tim."

"Nice to meet you, Tim" Abigail said, smiling. She led Tim though the house and out onto the patio deck. Outside there was a sparkling pool and on the other side, there was a tennis court. Tim was amazed; he never knew that the mob paid off so well.

On the other side of the pool, Tim recognized Anthony sitting at a table, along with another man and a exotic looking woman. Abigail led him to the table and then disappeared.

"Hi, Tim," Anthony said, looking up at him.

"Hi, Anthony," Tim said, trying not to let his nervousness show.

"Tim, this is my girlfriend, and our contract assassin, Ziva David," Anthony said, motioning to Ziva, who was sitting next to him, fanning herself with her hand. "And this is my boss, Jethro Gibbs," Anthony said, motioning to Jethro, who was on the other side of him.

"Sit," Jethro said. Tim pulled out the only empty chair and sat down.

"Now, Tim, I understand that you work for the FBI, is that correct?" Jethro asked. Tim nodded.

"Yes sir," Tim said.

"Is your working for the FBI going to interfere with your work here?" Jethro asked.

"As long as it's not anything illegal, I'm not obligated to report it," Tim said.

"No, nothing illegal," Jethro said. "But we want you to set up some surveillance. Is this a problem?"

"No, not at all," Tim said.

"Good," Jethro said, leaning back in his seat. "This is what we want you to do."

"Wait, I have a question," Tim said, suddenly, and then kicking himself silently.

"Yes?" Jethro asked with a bemused expression.

"Your daughter," Tim began. Anthony stood up quickly, as did Jethro. Jethro leaned over Tim, so close he could feel Jethro's breath on his face.

"My daughter," Jethro growled, "is off limits. If I even catch you looking at her sideways," Jethro let the threat trail off. Tim nodded vigorously. "Good," Jethro said as he an Anthony sat back down. "Now, back to business."

* * *

Later that night, Anthony took Ziva home to her apartment. He was lounging on her couch again as she changed out of her suit.

"So what did you think of Vance?" Anthony asked loudly so Ziva could hear him down the hallway.

"I want to know how he's heard of me, I will call my father tomorrow, although I do not look forward to it," Ziva said, as she walked into the living room. She had changed into pink low cut boy short underwear, a pink and teal lacy bra, and a black sheer robe on top of that. Anthony couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"I think he seems like a scumbag," Anthony said as he watched Ziva walk closer to him. Ziva sat down next to him and cuddled into his chest. Anthony began stroking her side, lightly brushing her skin. She felt her shiver underneath his touch and a smile of satisfaction crossed his face.

"Anthony," Ziva said, her voice strained.

"Babe," Anthony replied as his tongue found the side of her next. Ziva let out a small moan and Anthony could feel her body quiver. He flipped her so she was underneath him and continued his assault on her neck. She arched her back and moaned in pleasure. He slowly began to move down her neck towards her chest. Her back arched further and her moans grew louder. He slowly moved down her stomach to the top of her underwear and stopped.

"How do you feel about going on a hit?"

* * *

**So, yay? Nay? Please, express your feelings. Please review. **


	3. Dangerous Games

**Special thanks to cable_addict for being my beta reader and inspiration, because without her, this wouldn't even exist. She really kicks my butt about this stuff. And, now, onto the chapter. **

* * *

Chapter 3 – Dangerous Games

"The target is Jeffrey Fox," Jethro said as he threw a file onto the table in front of Ziva. She looked up at Jethro, her fingers balancing her temple.

"What did he do?" Ziva asked.

"Stole a considerable amount of money and hardware from us," Jethro said, sitting down across the table. "We want him taken care of. He frequents Gily's Bar on fourth street."

"That's a," Ziva started to say.

"Yes, I know what it is," Jethro said. "Will you do it?"

"Yes."

* * *

Anthony watched Ziva walk across the stage as Burn It to the Ground by Nickelback played across the strip club's speakers. Ziva was dressed in tight black leather pants, knee high black boots, and a tight leather vest that left nothing to the imagination. Four tables away he could see Ziva's target watching her with interest. Anthony couldn't blame him, almost every man in the club was watching Ziva with rapt attention, but it made his blood boil. He was sure that the sex would be spectacular tonight.

Anthony watched as Ziva jumped off the stage and headed towards her target and began grinding him. Anthony tightened his fist, a grimace on his face. The song changed and Anthony watched as Ziva led Jeffrey Fox out of the club. Anthony waited a few minutes and then got up and followed. When he exited the club, he saw the pair disappear into a nearby alleyway. The poor guy probably thought the he was going to get lucky. Anthony listened closely, and then he heard with, the soft "woosh" of a gun being shot with a silencer. Where Ziva had hidden her gun, Anthony had no idea, but he was dying to find out.

Ziva exited the alley, gun nowhere to be seen. She sashayed over to where Anthony was standing. Anthony's face spread into a smile. He pushed her against the nearest building and his lips began an assault on hers.

"Let's go home," Ziva said roughly.

* * *

Tim was currently working on installing the necessary software onto the computers for surveillance when Abigail walked into the room.

"Hi," she said as she sat down next to Tim.

"Hi," Tim said back awkwardly, the threat from Jethro still ringing in his ears.

"What are you doing?" Abigail asked.

"Installing software," Tim said.

"Did dad ask you to set up surveillance?" Abigail asked as she leaned in closer to Tim. Tim took a deep breath and held it.

"Yeah," Tim said.

"On who?"

"Didn't ask," Tim said.

"Don't you work for the FBI?" Abigail said, looking at Tim closely.

"Yes," Tim said.

"Won't you get fired for working for the mob?"

"I'm a consultant," Tim said. Abigail was quiet for a minute, and then got up and left the room. Tim left a sigh of relief go. That had been too close for him.

* * *

Ducky found his long time friend sitting in his study, looking over papers, his glasses on his face.

"Stressed?" Ducky asked as he sat down on a chair across the desk from Jethro.

"You have no idea, Duck," Jethro said.

"I heard you sent Ziva out on a hit," Ducky said. "I've been meaning to tell you something…"

"Can it wait, Duck?" Jethro asked, looking up from his papers.

"Well, I suppose it could," Ducky said, a little put off that his friend had cut him off. Jethro took his glasses off and rubbed his face in his hands. "Difficulties?" Ducky asked, regarding his friend with concern.

"I want to know why Vance moved here," Jethro said. "He has a bad rep. The only reason he's the boss is because he killed his former one."

"What do you plan to do about it?" Ducky asked.

"I don't know," Jethro admitted.

* * *

Later, Anthony and Ziva lay in the afterglow of sex. Ziva was snuggled into Anthony's chest, and Anthony's hand was lazily trailing over Ziva's back. Anthony could feel Ziva's breath even out, signaling that she was asleep. Anthony's thoughts trailed to what he had discovered earlier this week. He had slept over earlier that week and Ziva had woken him when she ran to the bathroom. He had an idea of why she had, but he had pretended to sleep and hadn't questioned her about it. Some things were better left unsaid.

Anthony's mind then traveled to the business. He knew that Jethro was getting ready to retire soon, and Anthony was the only one who could take over, but he wasn't sure that he wanted too. He had had his reservations when he discovered that his father had left Jethro in charge instead of ending the business. He had never wanted to be in the mob, even before his mother died. His mother had died around the same time as Abigail's which is why they were as close as they were, practically brother and sister.

Anthony felt Ziva stir underneath him, and he raised his arm so she could adjust herself and he too, settled in and fell asleep.

* * *

"Sir," the voice said hesitantly. Vance looked up from his desk to see one of his lackeys standing in the doorway.

"Yes?" Vance asked curtly.

"He has a daughter," the lackey said.

"How old?" Vance asked.

"She's twenty-nine, lives with him, her mother was killed when she was nine," the lackey stated.

"Is she involved in anything?" Vance asked.

"They occasionally use her to attract attention, but other than that, no," the lackey said.

"Very well," Vance said, and the lackey left, leaving Vance to contemplate what move he would make next. Revenge was coming.

* * *

Jennifer Shepard had been the most beautiful woman in the world to Jethro Gibbs. They had met in Paris, Jethro was doing research for Sal, and she had been on vacation. They had wed several weeks later. The thing that had drawn Jethro to Jennifer was the fact that she had not been intimidated by his job. She had accepted him for who he was and loved him for who he was.

Two years after their marriage Jennifer became pregnant with Abigail. Jethro had never been happier in his life. Sal had let him take a lot of time off so he could spend more time with Jennifer and when she had the baby, he was there. Holding that little girl in his arms for the first time was better than anything he had ever done in his life. Abigail quickly became his life.

When Abigail was nine, Jennifer was killed. No one ever found out who did it. Jethro had taken Abigail to the movies, leaving Jennifer at home for some much needed rest. When he returned home, he found Jennifer slaughtered in their bed. It was only after that he had learned that she was pregnant with their second child…

* * *

**Okay, I promise that the random bits of irrelevant information will be pieced together, will make sense, and will be relevant. PLEASE REVIEW! I would like to hear your thoughts on what you think so far.**


	4. Deadly Secrets

**I'm so sorry that this took so horribly long to update. I was on spring break, and, believe it or not, I write better when I am in class, so I had no muse for a week. Please make sure you review, I appreciate hearing your thoughts on my unusual story.**

**Thank you, cable_addict, for being my beta, friend, and butt kicker, I don't know how I would write without you!!**

* * *

Chapter 4 – Deadly Secrets

Ziva woke up the next morning and found Anthony gone. There was a single red rose on the pillow and a note beside it.

_Sweetcheeks,_

_Jethro called me and wanted me for something. Get out your best dress, you and I are going out to dinner tonight. I'll pick you up at seven._

_Love, Anthony._

Ziva smiled and picked up the rose and smelled it. She then gently traced it over her stomach. Maybe she would tell Anthony tonight that he was going to be a father. Humming to herself, she got out of bed and started to get ready for the day.

* * *

Anthony nodded, trying hard to pretend he was interested in what Jethro was saying, but he couldn't concentrate. He had decided that tonight he would ask Ziva to marry him. He was taking her out to dinner at her favorite restaurant and he had already called and made a reservation. Abigail had gone with him two weeks ago to pick out a ring and now all he had to do was get up the nerve to propose. He had been thinking about it before, but now that he had guessed Ziva's secret it was more important to him.

"Anthony DiNozzo," Jethro barked.

"Sorry, boss," Anthony said, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind.

"Did you just hear a word that I said?" Jethro asked. Anthony shook his head shamefully.

"Anthony, you need to pay attention, this is important," Jethro scolded. Anthony put Ziva, the ring in his pocket, and the secret they shared out of his mind and focused on his godfather.

* * *

"_They have reservations for eight," the voice on the phone said._

"_Get ready, we'll do it tonight," the other voice said._

* * *

Promptly at seven, Anthony rang Ziva's doorbell. She answered right way, wearing a black dress that came to a stop at mid thigh. The top of it was embellished in red thread and the neckline was cut deeply. Ziva had twisted pieces of her hair back at random places and tied it up in a loose bun and on her feet were black high heels that resembled gladiator sandals.

"You look amazing," Anthony said as he kissed Ziva lightly on the lips.

"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself," Ziva said as she looked him up and down. Anthony was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie. "And, we match," Ziva said motioning to Anthony's tie.

"Are you ready?" Anthony asked.

"Let's go," Ziva said.

They didn't see it coming. The bullet hit the front right tire, causing the car to spin out of control. Their car hit an SUV and then continued into a tree. Ziva was knocked unconscious, and Tony was just barely conscious. He moved his head, wincing slightly as he did, to look at Ziva. There was blood coming out of a cut on her forehead, and more blood on the floor. The last thing Anthony did was call 911.

"_911, what's your emergency?"_ was the last thing that Anthony heard before he too slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ziva's eyelids fluttered. She felt stiff, sore, and her head hurt. She tried opening her eyes, but found that they were heavy. She tried again and was successful. She was in a white room, and there was a beeping noise in her ear. Standing next to her was a nurse in pink scrubs.

"What happened?" Ziva said, causing the nurse to jump.

"Ms. David, you're awake," the nurse said, using the proper pronunciation of Ziva's surname; someone must have warned her in advanced.

"What happened?" Ziva repeated.

"You and Mr. DiNozzo were in a rather nasty car accident. From what I heard from the paramedic's, you're lucky to be alive," the nurse explained.

"The baby," Ziva muttered, feeling her eyes growing heavy. The nurse hesitated. "The baby," Ziva said again, forcing her eyes to stay open.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. David, there was nothing we could do. By the time you arrived at the hospital you had already miscarried. You lost the baby," the nurse said. Tears came to Ziva's eyes and she let the heaviness overcome them.

"Don't tell anyone," she whispered before she fell back asleep.

* * *

Anthony woke up to the steady beep of a machine in his ear. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around. The first person he saw was Jethro, sitting next to his bed on a chair. The second person he saw was a nurse in pink scrubs recording his vitals on a chart.

"Ziva?" Anthony asked. The nurse looked up.

"Ms. David is in stable condition. She was awake a little bit ago and asking for you," the nurse said. Anthony looked to Jethro for confirmation and Jethro nodded his head.

"What happened?" Anthony asked, now assessing his situation. His back hurt like hell and his right arm was strapped into a brace.

"You and Ziva were in an accident," Jethro said, his voice solemn and his face hard.

"The tire," Anthony said, remembering.

"Your tire was shot out," Jethro said.

"It didn't blow?" Anthony asked, confused.

"No, it was shot," Jethro said. "And then you hit a car, and then you hit a tree, on Ziva's side." Anthony's chest tightened at the mention of Ziva being hurt. He remembered the blood on the floor, too much blood.

"Can you go find her doctor?" Anthony asked Jethro. Jethro nodded and then walked out of the room. Anthony turned to the nurse.

"The baby," Anthony said.

"You knew about that?" the nurse asked.

"I had a suspicion," Anthony said. "Just tell me." The nurse studied him for a moment and then answered.

"She had already miscarried when you arrived at the hospital, there was nothing we could do," the nurse told him. Anthony fell silent. "I'm sorry," the nurse said before the room, leaving Anthony alone in his thoughts.

* * *

Jethro walked into the waiting room to fins his long time friend sitting there.

"Duck," Jethro said, acknowledging the older man.

"Jethro, how are they?" Ducky asked as Jethro sat down next to him.

"Anthony has a sprained wrist and a few contusions, but he's fine," Jethro said.

"And Ziva?" Ducky prompted.

"Anthony hit the tree on her side; it took them a while to cut her out. She's suffering from massive blood loss and has a pretty nasty cut on her head," Jethro said heavily.

"Anything else?" Ducky asked curiously.

"I just get the feeling that the doctor wasn't telling us everything," Jethro said. "And this whole thing with how their accident happened, it just doesn't make sense. Why go after Anthony and Ziva first?"

* * *

When Jethro had gotten the call about Anthony and Ziva, Jethro had left Tim guarding Abigail with the instructions not to let anyone in the house unless he'd seen them there before. Tim was wary about this, he was only supposed to be a technology consultant, and here he was, sitting in the security room, his SIG in reach. There was a soft knock at the door and then Abigail slipped through.

"My dad just called," Abigail said, sitting in the vacant chair next to Tim.

"How are Anthony and Ziva?" Tim asked.

"Fine, I guess. Their tire was shot out, hence why you are watching me," Abigail said. The two were quiet for a few moments, until Abigail spoke up.

"Do you not like me, or something?" she asked. Tim looked at her.

"Why?" Tim answered, stunned and surprised at her question.

"You avoid me at all costs, you don't talk to me, you barely even look at me," Abigail ranted.

"Your father made it very clear to me," Tim began.

"Screw my father," Abigail yelled, and then her lips were crashing onto his.

* * *

Anthony was starting to get restless when his nurse walked into his room.

"Mr. DiNozzo, you've been cleared for discharge," the nurse said as she began disconnecting the various machines attached to Anthony.

"And Ziva?" Anthony asked.

"We'd like to keep her here under observation for a few more days," the nurse explained. "We've moved her to a room upstairs."

After Anthony was discharged, he was directed to Ziva's room on the fourth floor. When he entered the room, Ziva was laying her side, and Anthony could see the tears glistening on her cheeks in the light coming from the window. Anthony went to the bed and lay down next to her, wrapping her in his arms. She moved closer to him and took his hand and moved it down to her stomach, leaving her hand on top of his. They laced fingers and she squeezed his.

"Anthony," Ziva whispered.

"I know, Sweetcheeks, I know," Anthony replied, trying very hard to hold back his own tears, but failed. A few managed to escape and they trickled down his face slowly. Whoever did this, they would pay.

* * *

Tim McGee knew that he was in very big trouble when he woke up next to Abigail wearing nothing. Abigail was snuggled into his side, wrapped up in most of the blanket, sound asleep. Tim smiled; he supposed that sleeping with her had been worth it, she was amazing in bed. Just then, his cell phone rang, interrupting his recollection of the previous night's events. Tim fumbled for his phone, which was still in his pants pocket on the floor and looked at the caller ID and groaned. It was his boss.

Forty-five minutes later, after Tim had called Jimmy to watch Abigail, he was seated in his boss's office. He had been here before, but on decidedly better circumstances.

Seeley Booth, the deputy director, was a legend in the Hoover Building. He had worked himself up slowly, solving impossible cases with his partner from the Jeffersonian Museum. He had finally been promoted to deputy director and was now married to his partner and they had two children.

Tm watched his boss nervously, and noted that he didn't look happy.

"Agent McGee, do you know why you're here?" Booth asked.

"I don't know, sir," Tim said.

"Maybe this will help you figure it out," Booth said and tossed a case file across his desk to Tim. Tim picked the file up and looked inside. Inside the folder were several pictures of him. There were several of him eating lunch the day that Anthony and Jimmy had shown up, some of him sitting in the back yard at Jethro's house, and several more of him outside from that morning, talking to Jimmy before he left.

"See, we've had the DiNozzo mob under surveillance for quite a while. Imagine my surprise when you show up," Booth said.

"It's just freelance consulting," Tim said. "I do that sometimes."

"Freelancing for the biggest mob in DC? I don't think so," Booth said. "Agent McGee, you are hereby ordered to turn in your badge and gun, you're fired."

* * *

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	5. Desperate Times

Chapter 5 – Desperate Times

A few days later, Ziva was released from the hospital with instructions to take it easy. Anthony took her home and set her up on the couch with several of her favorite movies and the TV Guide and he told her that he would make her soup.

Tony was just getting ready to serve Ziva dinner when there was a knock at the door. Anthony went to answer it and found Leon Vance standing there.

"What the fuck do you want?" Anthony growled as he stepped into the hallway so Ziva wouldn't hear.

"Anthony, there's no call for rudeness, I heard about your unfortunate accident and wanted to make sure the two of you were okay," Vance said.

"Bullshit, you ordered the hit. You killed my child," Anthony yelled. Vance's smile wavered.

"She was pregnant?" Vance asked.

"Was being the keyword here, she miscarried before they even got her to the hospital," Anthony shot. "Now get the fuck out of here before I kill you myself."

* * *

Abigail walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find Tim there.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" Abigail asked as she picked up an apple from a nearby fruit basket.

"I was fired," Tim said glumly.

"Because of my father?" Abigail inquired.

"Yes," Tim said.

"I'm sorry," Abigail said, placing her hand on Tim's arm.

"It's okay," Tim replied. "Your father said that he would keep me on if I was fired."

"Want to go to the movies tonight?" Abigail asked suddenly.

"Sure, but what," Tim began.

"Don't worry about my father, I'll take care of him," Abigail said, placing her lips lightly against his.

* * *

Jethro looked over the police report that his detective friend had given him. Anthony had already called to tell him that Leon had showed up at Ziva's apartment and his falter when Anthony had mentioned that Ziva had been pregnant. Jethro had been surprised when Anthony had said about Ziva's pregnancy, but he had left the subject alone. He knew that Anthony would talk to him when he was ready.

What Jethro couldn't figure out was why Leon had moved to DC, and what did he want with the DiNozzo mob. Just then Abigail walked into his office. Jethro looked up from the police report.

"What's wrong, mouse?" Jethro asked, using his pet name from his daughter.

"Well, I was thinking, ever since Anthony and Ziva had their accident, I don't feel safe. I was wondering if now that Tim doesn't have a job, he could be my body guard." Abigail said. Jethro looked at his daughter.

"Abigail, I don't know if I trust Tim or not. What if I assigned Jimmy to you?" Jethro asked her.

"Daddy," Abigail whined resorting to the name she used when she wanted something. "Please, I really want Tim to be my bodyguard; he used to be an FBI agent. That has to count for something," Abigail pleaded. "Please Daddy?" Jethro stopped and considered it; Tim had done a good job on the night of Anthony and Ziva's accident.

"I suppose," Jethro said. "But if anything happens to you, he's done, do you understand?"

"Yes," Abigail shrieked as she ran around the desk and hugged her father. "Thank you, daddy."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Ziva awoke to the sound of a knock on the door; she and Anthony had fallen asleep after watching an afternoon movie. She looked over at Anthony who hadn't even moved at the sound of the knock and rolled her eyes. She got out of bed, taking her gun with her; and went to answer the door. When she opened the door she found Ducky standing there.

"Ducky," Ziva said, sounding surprised. She placed her gun on the hall table.

"I'm sorry to wake you," Ducky said, noting her pajamas and mussed hair. "But I wanted to see how you were .doing."

"It is fine, Ducky," Ziva said as she stepped aside, allowing Ducky to enter the apartment. Ducky walked in and hung his coat up and followed Ziva to the kitchen where she began making tea. Ducky shook his head and pointed to a chair.

"Sit," Ducky said, and then took over where Ziva left off. "How do you feel?" Ducky asked.

"Sore, my head still hurts." Ziva said.

"How do you feel emotionally?" Ducky asked as he set a steaming mug full of tea down in front of Ziva and then took a seat. Ziva stared into the mug, and Ducky watched as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I lost my child, how am I supposed to feel?" Ziva said, quickly wiping the tears away that had managed to fall. "On the plus side, Anthony is more attentive to me now." Ducky chuckled and placed his hand on Ziva's.

"My dear, I took the liberty of speaking with your doctor. He assured me that there is no reason you won't be able to have more children. You were very early in your first trimester, any woman who had sustained your trauma would have miscarried as well," Ducky said.

"Do you know what I found in Anthony's coat pocket yesterday?" Ziva asked, more tears in her eyes. "An engagement ring; Anthony was taking me to dinner to propose."

"Well, I have no doubt that Anthony will still ask you," Ducky said. Ziva shook her head.

"There's no reason for him to now," Ziva said, "he knew about the baby." From the hallway, with a heavy heart, Anthony listened to Ziva cry on Ducky's shoulder.

* * *

Leon looked up from his desk to see Jethro Gibbs standing in his doorway.

"Jethro, it's nice to see you," Leon said.

"Cut the crap, Leon," Jethro said. "Leave my family alone."

"What makes you think that what happened to Anthony and Ziva has anything to do with me?"

"Do you think I'm stupid, Leon?" Jethro said. "The police told me that they found a slug from a sniper rifle in the tire of Anthony's car. Funnily enough, that rifle just so happens to be registered to one of your men. Ziva doesn't know exactly what happened yet, but I'd hate to be you when she finds out."

"Are you threatening me?" Leon asked.

"No," Jethro said. "Think of it as a warning. Why are you here anyway?"

"Because I have some fish to fry."

* * *

Tim and Abigail walked out of the movie theater holding hands.

"So, did you like the movie?" Abigail asked.

"It looked better in the previews," Tim said. They were headed to the car when Tim saw someone next to their car. Tim stepped in front of Abby. The person looked up and then ran away. Tim turned to Abigail.

"We have to get out of…" Tim was cut off by a huge explosion. Tim instinctively covered Abigail with his body and grimaced as white hot heat washed over his back.

* * *

Jethro looked up from his dinner at the phone rang. He pulled his phone from his pocket and answered it.

"Yeah?" Jethro said, answering the phone.

"Jethro, it's Rodger." The voice on the other line said.

"Hey, did you have anything on Anthony and Ziva's accident?" Jethro asked.

"No, that's not why I called," Rodger said. "There was an explosion at the movie theater. It was your car." Jethro's thoughts instantly jumped to his daughter.

"Abigail?"" Jethro asked.

"She appeared to be fine, but the guy with her wasn't in great shape. They were sent to Monroe University," Rodger said.

"Thanks," Jethro said. He was out the door before he had even hung up the phone.

* * *

**Sorry that it took so long to update, but I was working on Chapter 8, and I dont like to update unless a new chapter is finished and I was struggling with it. But I'm back, and I'm over my block, so, yay! Please review, I appreciate all of your encouraging comments for my unusual story!**


	6. Concrete Shoes

Chapter 6 – Concrete Shoes

Abigail was in the waiting room when her father rushed into the ER.

"Daddy," she cried, running into her father's arms. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying and her face showed obvious signs of distress. Jethro hugged his daughter tightly to him and he could feel her shaking in his arms.

"Are you alright?" Jethro asked as he pulled away from Abigail and inspected her. "What happened?"

"We were coming out of the movie theater when Tim saw a man by the car. Tim tried to get me away, but the car exploded, he covered me with his body," Abigail rambled.

"How is he?" Jethro asked.

"I don't know, they wouldn't let me back, they said I wasn't family, so I've been waiting out here for you, and they won't tell me anything," Abigail said, restarting her rambling.

"Abigail, calm down," Jethro said, placing his hand on his daughter's cheek. "Do you know who his doctor is?"

"I am," a petite blonde woman in scrubs said as she walked up to Abigail and Jethro. "I'm Dr. Cameron, Mr. McGee's attending physician."

"Is Tim okay?" Abigail asked quickly.

"Tim has a few minor first degree burns on his back, a concussion, and a few minor contusions," Dr. Cameron said. "But other than that he's fine, but we would like to keep him and your daughter overnight."

"I thought you said that Abigail was fine," Jethro protested.

"There is a risk, when someone is involved in a fire or explosion," Dr. Cameron admitted. "Because the lungs take in superheated air, they can be seared, causing serious complications. Your daughter doesn't need to be admitted, but she should stay overnight with Mr. McGee so the nurses can keep an eye on her."

* * *

Ziva looked up as Anthony snapped the phone shut.

"That was the Boss, Abigail and Tim were in an explosion," Anthony said, seeing the questioning look on Ziva face.

"Are they okay?" Ziva asked.

"Pretty much, they want to keep them overnight for observation," Anthony said as he sat down on the couch next to Ziva who immediately curled into his side. Anthony began mindlessly stroking her hair, his hand on autopilot.

"Do you think it's a coincidence?" Ziva asked.

"What's a coincidence?" Anthony asked, looking at her.

"Well, we're in an accident and a week later Abigail and Tim are almost blown up," Ziva said. Anthony sucked in his breath. They still hadn't told Ziva what had caused the accident.

"Ziva, listen, that accident that we were in, was no accident. Our tire was shot out," Anthony said carefully.

"What?" Ziva asked, looking confused.

"Our accident wasn't an accident; it was a hit gone wrong," Anthony explained.

"A hit gone wrong; you mean to tell me that Vance ordered a hit on us and as a result, my baby is gone," Ziva screeched, her voice raising several decibels.

"Yes," Anthony said. Ziva grabbed her coat off of the table and her gun out of the drawer. "Where are you going?" Anthony asked.

"To send Vance a message of his own," Ziva said.

* * *

Ziva looked around the corner where two of Vance's men were standing, smoking cigarettes. Ziva smiled; you could always tell when the enemy got cocky. Vance probably thought that everyone would be too busy worrying about everything that happened tonight that no one would bother with retaliation. He had no idea how wrong he was about to be. Ziva screwed the silencer on her gun and stepped out from around the corner. She had stopped at Anthony's house for clothes. She was dressed in a pair of liquid leggings, a purple low cut halter top, and strappy stilettos.

"Hey boys," Ziva called, hiding her gun behind her back. The two men looked up, and Ziva could see the switch in their head flip from business to sex.

"Well, hey there little lady, is there something we can help you with?" one of the men called.

"Well, I'm looking for someone," Ziva said coyly.

"Who, maybe we could help you?" the other man asked.

"Your boss," Ziva said, pulling the gun from behind her back and pulling the trigger. She shot the first man and trained her gun between the other man's eyes. "Where is he?"

"In... in his office," the man stuttered. Ziva smiled a dangerous smile and then shot the second man. Her adrenaline was in high speed now.

* * *

"Boss," Anthony said into the phone. Jethro could tell that something was wrong immediately, just by Anthony's voice.

"What's wrong?" Jethro asked. He was pacing outside of Tim's room, where Abigail and Tim were, both sound asleep.

"Ziva found out about the accident," Anthony confessed. "I think she's going after Vance."

"Shit," Jethro swore. He knew that this could turn out very badly.

* * *

Ziva made her way to Vance's office slowly and quietly. She was fighting every urge in her body for more speed, more results, more everything. There was a light coming out from under the door of Vance's office, and Ziva paused to listen for voices. After hearing none, she kicked the door open. Vance looked up in surprise.

"Hello, Ziva," Vance said cordially, clearly confused.

"You," Ziva said, pointing her gun at Vance, "you killed my baby."

"I didn't know," Vance said, and Ziva rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point, you tried to kill me and Anthony, and instead, you killed our baby," Ziva growled. "Do you have any idea what I went through?"

"Ziva, really, if I had known, I never would have ordered the hit," Vance said.

"So you admit that you ordered the hit?" Ziva asked, her eyebrows raised, waiting for a response. Vance nodded his head. Ziva walked closer and pressed the gun against Vance's temple and lowered her face to his ear. "Do not come near anyone in my family again, do you understand? If I find out that you ordered one more hit, because don't think that I don't know what you did tonight with Abigail, I will kill you." Ziva stood up and walked to the front of Vance's desk, held the gun up, and shot Vance in the shoulder.

* * *

**So, as some of you might have noticed, I have updated the summary to include notice of an eventual x-over with the FOX tv show Bones. This crossover will include Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan, and only those characters.**

**On a happier note: my computer is home safe and sound after having to be sent back to Dell for repairs, and I am beyond estatic!!**  
**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	7. What A Scandel

* * *

Chapter 7 – What a Scandal

"Get in here now," Jethro yelled at Anthony on the phone. As he had been leaving, Leon had been brought into the ER with a gunshot wound to the shoulder and Jethro had instantly known what had caused it. He had called Anthony right away when he arrived home.

Twenty minutes later, Ziva stood in front of Jethro's desk, while Anthony waited by the door, leaning against the door frame.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ziva?" Jethro yelled.

"He needed a message," Ziva yelled back, equally loud.

"That wasn't your place," Jethro said.

"He killed my baby," Ziva yelled. This silenced Jethro.

"So it was true? You were pregnant?" Jethro asked.

"Yes," Ziva said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jethro asked.

"I wasn't aware that I had to," Ziva spat. "I'm not one of your employee's."

"You should have told me," Jethro said, his voice raised again.

"And you should have told me what really happened that night, both of you," Ziva said, turning to glare at Anthony.

* * *

Abby looked up as a nurse entered Tim's room.

"Mr. McGee, you've been cleared for discharge," the nurse said.

"So, I'm fine?" Tim asked.

"Yup," the nurse said. "You may have a headache for the next couple days though; and I wouldn't suggest anymore exploding cars." The nurse walked out of the room and there was an uncomfortable silence until Tim turned his head to look at Abigail.

"I'm glad I was there to save you," Tim said. Abigail smiled and leaned over and kissed him, right as Jethro walked in.

* * *

The ride back to Ziva's apartment was silent. Ziva sat in the passenger's seat with her head against the window the entire ride. When they got to the apartment Ziva went straight to her room and slammed the door. Anthony ran his hands through his hair and flopped onto the couch. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket, flipped it open, and stared at the ring inside. So much had gone wrong the past few weeks, and Anthony wondered if they'd be able to recover. Hearing the door open down the hall, Anthony quickly closed the box and stuffed it under a pillow just as Ziva walked in. She leaned over Anthony from behind him and ran her hands down his chest.

"I'm sorry," Ziva whispered into Anthony's hair. Anthony pulled Ziva over the back of the couch into his lap and pulled the ring box out from under the pillow.

"Marry me?" Anthony asked just as there was a knock at the door.

* * *

Jethro stared at Abigail and Tim, who had broken apart. Tom looked horrified, Abigail looked defiant, and Jethro looked pissed.

"What the hell," Jethro began.

"Dad, just don't," Abigail said. "I am entitled to kiss whomever I want."

"I told him," Jethro growled.

"I don't care what you told him," Abigail said hotly. "I'm not a little girl anymore, and you can't tell me what to do, and, you know what, Dad? I think I love Tim, and I know that he would do anything for me, so just layoff." Jethro just stared at his daughter.

"Okay," he said simply.

"Dad, didn't you just, wait, what?" Abigail said, obviously thrown from her father's answer.

"I said okay," Jethro said. "If I'm going to trust anyone with my daughter, it would be Tim."

"Really, Dad?" Abigail asked and Jethro nodded. Abigail ran to her father and hugged him tightly.

"But if he hurts you," Jethro began.

"You'll take him to the lake," Abigail finished, rolling her eyes.

* * *

The knocking at the door grew louder, but both Ziva and Anthony ignored it.

"Will you?" Anthony prompted.

"Yes," Ziva said. Anthony smiled and slipped the ring onto Ziva's finger. Ziva pressed her lips to his and they kissed for a moment, but were interrupted when the door was knocked down and several FBI agents swarmed in.

"Ziva David," the one agent said who looked like he was in charge. "You're under arrest for the murders of Michael Donovan and David Carter and assault with a deadly weapon."

"When did this supposedly happen?" Anthony asked as the agent that had spoken handcuffed Ziva.

"Last night, between ten and midnight," the agent said.

"She was at home, with me," Anthony said, and he could feel Ziva's eyes boring into him, but he refused to look at her.

"We have a witness placing her at the scene," the agent said.

"Who's your witness? Leon Vance?" Anthony asked. "He's got it out for my family, so he's not exactly trustworthy, and, if you would do a background check on him, you will find that he's got a rap sheet longer than the Golden Gate Bridge, so I suggest you investigate a little more before you barge in here and accuse my fiancé of murder." The agent looked at Anthony long and hard.

"Let her go," he said. The agent that was holding Ziva looked flabbergasted.

"But Deputy Director Booth, with all due respect," the agent began.

"Agent Freeman, let Ms. David go," Booth growled. Booth turned to look at Anthony. "So help me, if I find out you're lying," Booth let the threat trail off.

"You know us DiNozzo's, we're the good mob," Anthony said with a smile.

* * *

When Jethro had first met Sal DiNozzo, he had been eighteen and Sal had been twenty. The two had immediately hit it off and Sal had helped Jethro rise through the ranks of the mob. They had been the best man at each other's weddings and they were appointed as the godfather's of each other's children.

Sal's wife had died shortly after Jenny was murdered from breast cancer and Sal was too busy with the mob left to him by his father to spend time with his young grieving son. Jethro had taken it upon himself to bring Anthony along with him and Abigail whenever they did something. If Abigail wanted to go to the park with her father, Jethro would make sure the Anthony was included. As Anthony grew, he began to depend on Jethro for fatherly advice and support.

Anthony had not shed one tear when his father had died.

* * *

**Alright, I know that it's short, but this is really more of a filler chapter than anything, nice and fluffy. Good news, I just finished typing chapter 10 and I am definately going to exceed 10 chapters, which I am excited about. Also, a special thanks to cable_addict for all of her help with this story. I don't know what I would do without her!!**

**AND PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. More Than A Turf War

Chapter 8 – More Than a Turf War

After all of the FBI agents had left Anthony turned to look at Ziva who smiled.

"Thank you," Ziva said, sinking into the couch.

"You did get rid of the evidence, right?" Anthony asked, ignoring her words of thanks. "Because if they find out I lied, we'll both go down."

"Of course I got rid of the evidence," Ziva said indignantly, rather insulted.

"We have to tell Jethro about this," Anthony said as he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Jethro.

"Jethro," he said, finally answering his phone.

"Boss, our favorite deputy director was here and tried to arrest Ziva," Anthony said.

"What do you mean, tried?" Jethro asked.

"Well, I just pointed out that Vance wasn't the most trustworthy person and that they should investigate further before they accused Ziva of something," Anthony explained

"Did she take care of everything?" Jethro asked.

"Yes," Anthony said promptly.

"You know, I think it's time we paid a visit to our old friend Tobias," Jethro said.

* * *

When Sal and Jethro had been younger they had gotten into quite a bit of trouble over a counterfeiting scam. The person that had gotten then out of it had been Tobias Fornell. He had been fresh out of Quantico when he found evidence that didn't point to Sal or Jethro. Jethro and Tobias had been friends ever since. They were each other's information. When Tobias wanted information on a gang banger, he would ask Jethro and in return Tobias would give Jethro a record for anyone he asked for.

Their friendship had remained a secret from the Bureau, because it would have ruined Tobias's career. He had been offered the positions as Director several times, but had turned it down, for fear of his connection with the DiNozzo mob being discovered.

Tobias was sitting in his office filing paperwork when his phone rang. He picked it up.

"Agent Fornell," he said into the phone.

"It's good to hear your voice, Tobias," Jethro said.

"Jethro, you old bastard," Tobias said. "How is everyone?"

"A well as can be expected," Jethro said. "I don't know if you've heard or not, but there have been some accidents recently."

"Yes, I heard, is DiNutso alright?" Tobias asked. While Tobias had always had the utmost respect for Sal DiNozzo, the same couldn't be said for his son, Anthony. Anthony had always had a way of pushing Tobias's buttons, making the hate mutual.

"Yeah, Anthony is fine but Ziva had a miscarriage," Jethro said. "That's actually why I'm calling. I need a background on someone."

"Who?' Tobias asked, his gut churning.

"Leon Vance, he's from San Francisco," Jethro said, not daring to reveal anymore over the phone.

"Why?" Tobias asked.

"Curiosity," Jethro replied.

"Jethro, you know that curiosity killed the cat, right?" Tobias asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah, well, good for me that I have nine lives," Jethro replied.

* * *

_Several Days Later…_

Tim was standing in line at Starbucks, waiting for his and Abby's drinks when Booth appeared next to him.

"Heard you were in an explosion," Booth said.

"Yeah," McGee said, trying to stay cool. "I was on a date and someone rigged our car."

"So, it's true that you're dating Jethro's daughter?" Booth asked.

"Yes," Tim admitted.

"Do you know Ziva David?" Booth asked.

"We were introduced," Tim said. "We don't know each other personally. All I know that she's Anthony's girlfriend."

"I want you to keep an eye on her, report back anything unusual," Booth said.

"With all due respect sir, I don't work for the Bureau anymore, therefore, I'm not obligated to report anything," Tim said, and he walked away, leaving Booth standing there, stunned.

* * *

"And he just walked away," Booth ranted to his wife later that night. He flopped onto the bed and began to flip through channels, finally finding the Flyers game. His wife came out of the bathroom, a small smile on her face.

"What did you expect?" she asked as she slid into bed next to him.

"I don't know, Tempe, I thought he would jump at the possibility of getting his job back," Booth said, lifting his arm and allowing his wife to settle underneath it.

"Listen, Seeley, you shouldn't have fired him in the first place. And you shouldn't worry about the DiNozzo's anyway. They've never lied to you before, why should they start now? If anything, I would think that they would want you to be on their side from the sounds of things," she said.

"You're right," Booth said, kissing his wife on the forehead gently. "I just have a feeling that this is going to end badly."

* * *

Anthony and Ziva were about to sit down to a late dinner when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Anthony said, standing back up and going to the door. He was surprised to see Tim standing on the doorstep.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you," Tim began.

"No, it's alright, come on in," Anthony said. "Do you want a beer?"

"No thanks," Tim said. "Abby's waiting in the car. I wanted to tell you that I saw Deputy Director Booth in Starbucks today. He wants me to spy on Ziva." By this time, Ziva gotten up from the table and joined the two men in the front hall.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked.

"Director Booth wants Tim to spy on you," Anthony said.

"What did you tell him?" Ziva asked.

"I told him that since I didn't work for the Bureau anymore, I didn't have to, and I walked away," Tim said, feeling rather proud of himself. Anthony and Ziva just exchanged glances.

"Thank you for telling us, Tim," Ziva said. She exchanged another look with Anthony; they knew that they were in bigger trouble than they had thought.

* * *

Jethro watched the movie screen in disgust. Movies nowadays were just horrible. The only halfway decent movie that he had seen that year had been Gran Turino. Anthony loved the movies and constantly went on and on about them, but Jethro couldn't understand the appeal. All that was in movies nowadays was blood, gore, explosions, and murders.

Just then, Tobias sat down in the seat next to him.

"Do you have it?" Jethro whispered. Tobias slipped him a rather thick manila envelope.

"Everything the Bureau had on him," Tobias answered.

"I owe you one," Jethro said.

"Yes, you do, and I want to collect," Tobias said.

"Right now?" Jethro asked.

"Yes," Tobias said. "What did Ziva have to do with Vance's ER visit?"

* * *

Tim returned to the car, feeling rather good about himself. He knew in his gut that he had done the right thing by turning down Deputy Director Booth. He approached the car, and slowed when he saw Abigail's door open.

"Abigail?" he called, pulling the gun that Jethro had given him from the holster. He slowly approached the passenger's side door and immediately spotted the large puddle of blood on the ground, and Abigail was nowhere to be found.

* * *

**Okay, don't hate me, but that part is necessary to the story. Also, as you can see, Booth and Brennan are starting to take a larger part in the story, and their part will continue to develop into more than just a mention here and there. Once again, and as always, special thanks goes to cable_addict for being my best friend and helping me when I was stuck with this. **

**Also, I would appreciate more reviews. I really want to know what you all think of my unusual story, and reviews help with that. **

**SO PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Thanks!**


	9. SOS

Chapter 9 – SOS

Tim immediately ran back up the steps to Ziva's apartment. He pounded on the door until a surprised looking Ziva answered the door.

"Tim," she said, clearly surprised to see him at the door again.

"They've taken Abigail," Tim said, pushing past Ziva into the apartment. Anthony appeared from the kitchen with a towel sling over his shoulder and a plate in his hand.

"What's going on?" Anthony asked.

"Abigail is gone," Tom said. "I went down to the car and the door was open and there was a puddle of blood on the ground." Anthony was quiet for a second, and then he snapped into action.

"Ziva, call Jethro," Anthony said, tossing Ziva his cell phone. "He should be with Fornell."

"Wait," Tim said, surprised at where Anthony had said that Jethro was. "He's with Tobias Fornell, from the FBI?"

"Don't worry about that," Anthony said. "I need you to call Deputy Director Booth."

"Why?" Tim asked.

"Don't ask questions, just do it," Anthony said.

* * *

Booth had just fallen asleep when his cell phone began ringing.

"Booth," he mumbled into the phone and he felt Brennan stir beside him.

"Director Booth, you might want to come into the office," and unfamiliar agent said into the other line.

"Why?" Booth asked.

"Jethro Gibbs' daughter has been kidnapped," the agent said. Booth was quiet for a minute and then rolled out of bed.

"I'm on my way," Booth said.

"What's going on?" Brennan asked, sleep making her voice thick.

"I told you that I had a feeling that something bad would happen," Booth said as he yanked on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "Abigail Gibbs was kidnapped."

* * *

Booth arrived at Ziva's apartment complex twenty minutes later. The whole parking lot was lit up by flood lights and flashing police lights. Booth immediately spotted the group he was looking for. They were standing by the building, all huddled together. Anthony had his arm around Ziva, who was clearly shivering, Tim was pacing back and forth, and Jethro and the doctor had their heads bent in conversation. Booth could see that they were all carrying their guns, and he was sure that even if he couldn't see Ziva's hers was on her person. Booth approached him and Ducky and Jethro stopped talking.

"What happened?" Booth asked.

"I ran up to the apartment to give Anthony something and when I came back, she was gone," Tim said, omitting the actual reason he had visited Anthony and Ziva.

"Director Booth?" Agent Freeman said tentatively as he approached the group. "We found fingerprints."

"Whose?" Booth asked.

"Leon Vance."

* * *

Abigail struggled with her bonds as quietly as she could. After she had been taken they had put her in a van and since then they had been driving for quite a while. Abigail could feel the blood all over her face from the nasty gash on her forehead. She rolled her eyes and sighed, she knew that she should have gone up to Ziva's with Tim.

Continuing her struggle, Abigail finally managed to loosen her bonds enough to slip her wrists out. She left her hands how they were though, she knew that fooling her captors was crucial to escaping. Finally, Abigail felt the van slow and then stop. She heard the front two doors open and shut and then voices outside the back doors as they had a discussion. She immediately quieted and strained her ears to hear what they were saying.

"We'll have to lock her up for now, the tide's still up," she heard a voice say.

"Where?" she heard the other person reply.

"We can leave her in the van," the previous voice said. From this Abigail deduced that they were near the ocean and that they had nowhere to hold her. She heard them walk away and immediately brought her hands out from behind her back. She gently rubbed the raw places where the rope had cut into her skin and then began planning her escape, which she found to be useless right away. There was a metal sheet welded between her and the front of the van and the back door only opened from the outside.

Abigail slumped against the side of the van, her head hanging in defeat, until she felt something in her back pocket. She knew that they had taken her cell phone, but then she remembered her iPod Touch was still in her pocket. They had probably neglected to take because they didn't know that it carried WiFi capabilities. She yanked it out of her pocket and turned it on. She checked the wireless signal right away and discovered that she had none.

"Damn," Abigail swore. She began methodically moving around the van, holding the iPod at different angels. She finally got a one bar signal from a nearby Starbucks. She hurriedly typed an instant message and sent it to Tim, right before the bar dropped and she lost the signal.

* * *

Tim had started helping the agents run BOLO's and collecting evidence when his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket and was surprised to see that it was a message from Abigail.

"_Two men have me. We're by the ocean and a Starbucks. They're waiting for the tide to do something."_

"I've got something," Tim yelled as he hooked up his phone to a nearby laptop.

"What did you find?" Booth asked, running over, followed by Anthony and Jethro.

"Abigail sent me an instant message from her iPod," Tim said as he began tracing the IP address from the instant message.

"What did it say?" Booth asked.

"She said that two men have her, one might possibly be Vance, but she wouldn't know that because she's never met him," Tim said, his fingers meanwhile flying frantically on the keyboard. "She said that they were near an ocean and a Starbucks. I'm trying to trace the Starbucks IP now." As Tim was talking, the computer dinged, indicating that the computer had finished the trace. "The Starbucks is down by the old dock district, she could only be in a ten foot radius to be able to pick up that WiFi router." Booth pulled out his cell phone and called dispatch.

"This is Deputy Director Booth, I'm going to need a back up team in place at the 700 block of the dock district," Booth said and then hung up. "Come on, Tim," Booth said, tossing him a flak vest. "Let's go get your girl."

* * *

Abigail was waiting, and she didn't like it. Her head was throbbing from where they had hit her and blood was still seeping out. Suddenly, she heard someone approaching the van. Hoping it was Tim and defenses, Abigail took a defensive stand against the very back wall of the van, but instead of the doors opening Abigail heard someone climb into the driver's seat and the engine turn over. The van lurched forward and Abigail was slammed against the metal partition and she fell to the floor. It was then that she knew that they had someone intercepted her SOS.

* * *

Tim, Booth, and the rest of the team searched the 700 block for hours, but they couldn't find Abigail.

"You're sure it was here?" Booth asked in frustration.

"Yes, I'm sure it was here," Tim said, his heart sinking. He knew that this was all his fault, and he needed to find her.

* * *

**Ahhh... see, I bet you all thought that she was rescued. Big cliffy, and yes, before anyone says it, I am well aware that I am mean. Special thanks to, you guessed it, cable_addict, because without her, this story wouldn't have been possible, so thanks for being my muse. Also, you should check out her stories, they're really good. **

**AND REMEMBER TO REVIEW! PLEASE!**


	10. Ultimatum

Chapter 10 – Ultimatum

When the van finally stopped moving Abigail had started to feel woozy and light headed. The blood on her face and long since dried, but she couldn't move her eyebrows without the scab cracking. They had been driving for what had seems like hours, but upon checking her iPod, discovered that it had really only been half an hour.

The back of the door was thrust open suddenly and Abigail was hauled out by a man. She stumbled slightly from the force and then fell. She was yanked back to her feet and forced inside to what looked a brown box. There were no windows and only one heavy steel door. Abigail was roughly shoved inside and the door was slammed shut, leaving Abigail in complete and utter darkness.

* * *

Ziva found Tim sitting by the pool at the DiNozzo house staring into the water.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ziva asked, sitting down beside him. After the unsuccessful attempt to rescue Abigail, Booth had ordered ever non-FBI person home and assured them that they would continue to search for Abigail.

"It's all my fault," Tim said. "I should have known better than to leave Abigail by herself. I should have insisted that she come up, but she didn't want too, and I let it go."

"Tim, I have known Abigail for quite a while and there is no way that you could have gotten her to do something she didn't want to do," Ziva said. "It is not your fault that she was kidnapped."

"But I was responsible for her, I'm her bodyguard," Tim said.

"Tim, listen, it is not your fault. Period," Ziva said. Tim was about to reply when shots suddenly rang out from the front of the house. Both Ziva and Tim grabbed their guns and slowly made their way to the front of the house as more shots rang out. Ziva and Tim arrived out front in time to see a black Mercedes pull away from the curb. They continued to walk out as the car sped away. Jimmy was on the ground holding his hand to his leg, blood flowing between his fingers. Anthony was next to one of the men, who was clearly dead and that was when Ziva noticed the blood flowing down Anthony's arm.

"Oh my God, Anthony," Ziva cried out, racing over to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tony said, wincing as Ziva pulled his shirt away from the wound on his arm. "Just a graze, is Jimmy okay?"

"I'm fine," Jimmy called as Tim helped him sit up slightly. Jethro and Ducky choose that moment to run outside. Jethro saw Tony bleeding and ran over to him immediately.

"Anthony, what happened?" Jethro asked as he examine his godson's arm.

"I'm fine, they were some of Vance's men, I think," Anthony said. "No one else would be stupid enough." Anthony started to speak again, but was interrupted by Jethro's phone. "Who is it?" Anthony asked.

"Leon Vance."

* * *

Vance drummed his fingers on his desk as the phone rang. He had his shoulder out of its sling, and was tentatively moving it, but it was still painful. Finally, Jethro answered the phone.

"What do you want Leon?" Jethro growled into the phone.

"Do you want your daughter back?" Vance asked.

"Of course I want her back, you bastard," Jethro spat, causing Leon to smile.

"Turn Ziva in," Leon said, "and I will release Abigail without causing her anymore harm. You have twenty minutes," Leon said, and then he hung up, motioning to his men to move.

* * *

"_You have twenty minutes."_

Jethro heard the phone hang up and he threw his phone down, swearing as he did.

"What did he want?" Anthony asked.

"Ziva," Jethro said, looking over to where she had moved and was now helping Tim move Jimmy into the house. "He'll give us Abigail back if we turn Ziva in."

"Boss," Anthony began, but was cut off by Jethro's phone ringing again. This time, it was Booth.

"We got a hit on our BOLO," Booth said when Jethro answered. "We're one out way to get her."

* * *

Meanwhile, Abigail was struggling to stay awake. When the man had thrown her into the building, the cut on her head had reopened and blood was slowly trickling down her face. She knew that she had to stay awake, but her eyes kept slowly closing. Suddenly she felt a drop of water, then two, then three, and then a whole stream. Abigail sputtered and then stood up slowly, only to discover that there was water pouring from everywhere. She could already feel it pooling at her feet, and she knew that she was in big trouble.

* * *

"Where is she?" Jethro asked.

"We found the van outside of an old pump house about a half an hour from the city," Booth said.

"Listen, Vance just called me. She only has twenty minutes before he does something to her," Jethro said.

"Shit," Booth swore.

Booth was now driving about ninety miles an hour. He figured that whoever was driving the van had driven the speed limit in order to fly under the radar. He knew that in the act of saving Jethro Gibbs' daughter, the FBI was taking a side, and Booth knew that there would be consequences.

* * *

Abigail was now in so much water that her feet could no longer touch the ground. She was trying to swim, but her body rebelled at the idea. Abigail tried to think of things that would keep her awake and fighting; her father, Anthony, Tim, anything that would keep her awake. Finally, her head hit the ceiling. She closed her eyes and gave up fighting, letting her body sink beneath the water.

Booth and his team finally arrived at the place where the van was spotted. They all rushed out of the van and headed for the pump house. They were about to open the door when Booth stopped them.

"Wait," Booth said, pointing to the small stream of water coming from under the door. "They flooded it," Booth yelled. "Find the shut off and release valve!"

His team spread out around the building, searching for some way to drain the water.

"Found it," one of his members yelled. Booth heard a valve turning and then the rush of water through a pipe. By the sound of the force of the water Booth knew that the building had been filled all of the way, but he knew that he couldn't wait. He threw the door open and braced himself for the wall of water that came at him. Once the water was finished flowing out, Booth ran in to where Abigail's limp form was lying on the floor. He picked her up off of the floor, took her outside, and began CPR. Off in the distance sirens rang and horns blared. Booth ignored the commotion and continued CPR on Abigail. After a few rounds she spluttered and coughed. Her eyes opened and she began gasping for breath. She looked around wildly and began fighting off Booth.

"Abigail, listen to me. My name is Deputy Director Booth, you're safe now," Booth said. She quiet fighting him and collapsed into his arms and began sobbing and shivering. Booth motioned for one his agents to give him their jacket and when they did, Booth wrapped Abigail in it. Just then, two ambulances pulled up, along with a black SUV. Jethro and McGee jumped out of the SUV almost as fast at the paramedics had jumped out of their rig.

"Abigail," Jethro yelled. Abigail looked around at the sound of his voice.

"Daddy," Abigail cried. Jethro swooped in and took Abigail from Booth's arms. Booth stepped back and watched the two as he allowed an agent wrap a towel around his shoulders. "Daddy, I was so scared."

"It's alright, muffin, you're safe now," Jethro said, holding his daughter close.

"Where's Tim?" Abigail asked.

"I'm right here, Abby," Tim said, so in a rush to reassure her that he didn't bother to use her full name.

"Oh Tim," Abigail cried, still clinging to Jethro. "I tried to send you a message."

"I know and I tried to find you, but they had already moved you," Tim replied.

"Sir," a paramedic said, leaning over Jethro. "We need to take her to the hospital now." Jethro handed Abigail over to the paramedics and then stood up and looked at Tim.

"You go with her, I'll follow in the car," Jethro said.

* * *

At the same time that Booth was rescuing Abigail, Fornell was leading a team through the halls of the warehouse that Vance had been occupying. Everything had been cleared out and no one was there. Fornell got out his phone and dialed a number.

"He's gone."

* * *

**Okay, so the only reason I'm posting this chapter is because I feel guilty, and I'm no where near finishing chapter 13, which is what I normally would have done. My muse has been blocked lately, but thanks to my bestie, cable_addict, I'm pulling through. Expect an update anywhere from this weekend to next week, but I'm not promising anything. Also, with the storyline in chapter 13, I am officially posting this as a crossover. Oh, and please review!**

**REVIEW!**


	11. Strike Out

**Just a side note, and I will remind you again later: Booth and Temperance have two children on their own, in addition to Parker (who is 9 in this story). They have a daughter, Eliza, who is 5, and a son, Max, who is 2. I will remind you all of this again in the next few chapter. Also, please remember that this story is AU, which will mean some of the charaters will seem a little OOC at times.**

* * *

Chapter 11 – Strike Out

As Jethro followed the two ambulances, one carrying Abigail and the other carrying Booth, his phone rang. Jethro looked at the caller ID and then picked up.

"How are Anthony and Jimmy?" Jethro asked, not even bothering to say hello.

"I don't know, they took them back, and Ducky and I are still waiting to hear anything," Ziva replied. "Is Abigail okay?"

"Yes, Vance tried to drown her, but Booth saved her," Jethro said. I'm following the ambulances to the hospital now."

"Which hospital?" Ziva asked.

"I think we're going to UNI," Jethro replied.

"That is where we are, I guess we will see you when you get here," Ziva said and then hung up. Jethro sighed and concentrated on the road and keeping the headache that was threatening him at bay. This was just too much; Jethro couldn't understand why Vance was targeting his family. As far as he could remember he had never even met Vance before in his life, so Vance's obsession with him didn't make sense.

When he arrived at the hospital he immediately picked out Ziva and Ducky sitting in the waiting room. Tim was coming back up from the back rooms and he walked over to the trio.

"They kicked me out," Tim said glumly. Ziva couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Well, of course they did, they have to examine her," Ziva said. "Why was Booth brought in by ambulance?"

"They were worried about him going into shock after all of the adrenaline," Jethro said.

* * *

Temperance Brennan-Booth was sitting at home with her two children. They were playing some sort of video game together while she worked on things for work. Eliza had been sick the previous week, which had kept Temperance at home. Over the video game Temperance heard the phone ring. Se sighed, put her computer on the coffee table, and stood up and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Temperance said.

"Dr. Brennan?" a voice on the other line asked.

"Yes," Temperance said, confused. Hardly anyone called her that anymore. At the lab they still called her just Brennan, and Booth had started calling her Tempe.

"Your husband has been taken to UNI hospital," the voice said.

"What?" Temperance cried. "Is he okay, what happened?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that," the voice said. It was those words that sent Temperance over the edge. She, by default, also worked for the FBI, her position at the Jeffersonian and her previous partnership with Booth had made her a liaison.

"I want to know what happened to my husband," Temperance growled.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, you'll have to go to the hospital," the voice said. Temperance sighed and hung the phone up, only to pick it back up again.

"Angela, can you watch the kids?"

* * *

Temperance came running into the hospital with full force. She approached the nurses' station and leaned over to look at a nurse.

"I want to know where my husband is," Temperance said. The nurse looked up at her.

"Name?" the nurse asked.

"Deputy Director Seeley Booth," Temperance said. The nurse typed something into the computer and then looked up at Temperance.

"They're still evaluating him, the doctor will come get you when they're done," the nurse said. Temperance was about to say something when the woman behind her spoke.

"I wouldn't bother," the woman said. "I've been waiting for an hour to hear something about my fiancé. Arguing with the nurses doesn't do any good." Temperance looked at her. The woman extended her arm. "Hi, I'm Ziva David, and I take it that you are Booth's wife, Dr. Brennan." Temperance looked shocked but took Ziva's hand and shook it.

"Yes, Seeley is my husband," Temperance said as she followed Ziva to the waiting room where Jethro, Tim, and Ducky were sitting.

"I take it you're waiting for Abigail?" Temperance asked as she sat down next to Ziva.

"Yes and no," Ziva said. "We are waiting for Abigail, but my fiancé and a friend out ours were shot today while your husband was looking for Abigail, so we are waiting for them also."

"That's terrible," Temperance said. Seeley had told her some things about the case and the people involved, but not everything.

"Ziva," a voice said from the door of the waiting room and they all turned to see Anthony standing there, his arm bandaged and in a sling.

"Are you okay?" Ziva asked as Anthony walked in and sat down on the other side of her.

"Yes, I told you that it was just a graze. If we wouldn't have had to bring Jimmy to the hospital Ducky could have stitched it up himself, which reminds me," Anthony said, turning to look at the doctor. "They're taking Jimmy up to surgery, and his doctor is waiting for you up there." Ducky was Jimmy's uncle, which was why Jimmy had joined the mob in the first place.

"Thank you for telling me, my dear boy," Ducky said, standing up and walking out of the waiting room. As he was leaving, Booth walked in.

"Tempe?" Booth asked upon seeing his wife sitting next to Ziva. "What are you doing here?"

"And agent called me and told me that you had been brought here. They wouldn't tell me why, so I dropped the kids at Angie's and came here," Temperance said, getting up and hugging her husband tightly. Booth placed his arms around his wife and hugged her back. He knew that she was sensitive when it came to his safety. They had both had scares of their own in the past that had left their marks on them. They both sat down next to Anthony and Ziva. Jethro looked at the two.

"You don't have to stay here," Jethro said.

"No, you're right, we don't, but I would like to see how Abigail is doing, and I still need to take her statement," Booth said, looking Jethro in the eyes. It was then that Jethro knew that they had a new ally that could be of good use to them.

Half an hour later Abigail walked into the waiting room with a bandage on her head. Tim and Jethro immediately got up and went to her, followed by Anthony and Ziva.

"Are you okay?" Jethro asked his daughter.

"Yes," Abigail said, her voice teeming with exhaustion. "They think I might have a concussion, but they said if you promised to wake me up every half an hour to check on me that I could go home." Tim pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Tim said into her ear. Abigail smiled tiredly.

"I'm glad I'm okay too," she said.

During this exchange, Booth and Temperance had stood up and approached the group. Abigail broke away from the group and went to Booth and hugged him.

"Thank you for saving me," Abigail said. Booth smiled and hugged Abigail back.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Booth said. Abigail smiled and looked at Temperance.

"You must be Booth's wife," Abigail said. Temperance smiled and nodded. Abigail went over and hugged her as well. "You're husband is a wonderful man."

"Thank you," Temperance said. "I think so too."

They group was just about to leave when a shot rang out and the window of the waiting room shattered inwards. Everyone immediately ducked down. Two more shots rang out and the bullets embedded themselves into the wall above everyone's head. Booth pushed Abigail and Temperance into a corner.

"Stay here," Booth ordered and then went to the window and took cover behind a chair. On either side of him, Tim and Jethro had their guns out and Ziva was on the other side of him along with Anthony, who was attempting to shoot one handed. Jethro peeked over one of the overturned chairs and then ducked back down.

"Looks like some of Vance's goons," Jethro said. More shots rang out and Booth peeked over the chair and fired off some shots of his own. Vance's men in question were stationed in the parking lot across from the waiting room. They could hear the agents that had been outside at the time yelling at them to put their weapons down. More shots rang out, but they weren't directed at the waiting room.

Finally, the yelling stopped and Booth peeked over the chair again. Two agents were securing the scene. One of the men looked to be dead and the other severely injured.

"Is everyone okay?" Jethro asked, looking around. Temperance and Abigail were still crouched in the corner and they both nodded their heads to indicate that they were okay. Jethro looked at the family members around him and they all seemed fine as well.

"They knew that we were all here," Booth said. "How did they know we were here?"

* * *

**Haha, did you like it? In my defense, I didn't kill anyone or injure anyone else. PLEASE REVIEW! The last chapter only got 5 reviews, and that was after I saved Abigail. If you don't review, someone will die. Okay, I can't use that , because someone is going to die anyway, but seriously, review.**

**Also, special thanks to my bestie/muse/unbiological sister, cable_addict, for kicking my butt and helping me write this story. I would be no where without her. **

**VAMP**


	12. Perspectives

Chapter 12 – Perspectives

Once Booth had checked on everyone and made sure they were okay he ran outside to join his agents. Jethro and Anthony followed him.

"What do you have?" Booth asked the nearest agent, who happened to be Agent Freeman.

"These two men work for Leon Vance," Agent Freeman said. "The one who is still alive says that he doesn't know where Vance is. He claims that Vance dropped the two of them off here and then left without telling them where he was going."

"He didn't expect them to survive," Booth said.

"Probably not. The dead one's name is Ethan Geller, and the one that is still alive is James Hochstetter," Agent Freeman said. "We ran their ID's and they both have rap sheets from San Fransisco. We put out a BOLO and an APB on Vance, but no hit's yet."

"Alright, good. I'm going to take my wife home, you call me if anything turns up," Booth said and then turned to Jethro and Anthony. "You guys might as well go home too."

* * *

Ziva drove Anthony home in silence; they were both mulling over everything that had happened the past few days. Ziva would never admit it, but she was scared. In fact, she had never been so scared in her life. Finally she spoke up.

"Anthony," Ziva said..

"Hmmm?" Anthony said, still lost in thought.

"I think it's time we called my brother," Ziva said. This caught Anthony's attention and he looked over at her.

"Do we really have to involve him?" Anthony asked. Anthony had never liked Ziva's brother; in fact his exact words had been "creepy and psychotic looking".

"Anthony, you and I both know that he is the only one that has a chance of finding Vance now that he's gone," Ziva said. Anthony rolled his eyes.

"Ask Jethro," Anthony said, a smirk on his face. It was Ziva's turn to roll her eyes.

"Anthony, you know that Jethro doesn't like him either," Ziva sighed.

"Exactly," Anthony said, almost sounding gleeful. "He'll never agree to let your brother a part of this."

"I bet he wants to find Vance more than he hates my brother," Ziva pointed out. Anthony quieted and glared at her.

"Fine, call him," Anthony huffed. Ziva picked up her cell from the cup holder and dialed a number. A few minutes later she greeted someone in Hebrew.

"Shalom, Ari."

* * *

Jethro was driving Abigail and Tim home, much to the dismay of the doctors at the hospital, who had tried to insist that Abigail stay overnight due to the added stress from the shooting. Jethro had politely declined and carried his daughter out of the ER. Abigail was now asleep on the back seat, her head in Tim's lap. Tim was gently stroking her hair and staring absent mindedly out of the window.

"Does it ever bother you?" Tim asked, all of the sudden and out of the blue.

"Does what bother me?" Jethro asked gruffly, staring at Tim from the rearview mirror.

"Your family always being in danger," Tim said. It was clearly a statement and Tim looked determined to receive an answer.

"I've tried to protect them as much as I can," Jethro said. "But they're all stubborn and pigheaded and absolutely refuse to do what I tell them too."

"What would you do for them?" Tim asked.

"Anything," Jethro said.

"Even me?"

"Even you."

* * *

The ride began in silence, and Temperance couldn't stop fidgeting. Finally, Booth spoke up.

"Go ahead and say it," Booth said. Temperance looked over at him.

"Say what?" she asked.

"I know what you're going to say, so just say it," Booth said.

"It's just that when you took the deputy director job, we agreed that you wouldn't be in the field anymore unless it was necessary," Temperance began."And my question is, was it really necessary?"

"Oh, Tempe," Booth said with frustration.

"No, don't "Tempe" me, Seeley Booth," Temperance shot back. "Do you have any idea what was going through my mind when that agent called today? I thought the worst. You can't do things like that."

"You weren't supposed to know," Booth said.

"Oh, and that makes it better?" Temperance shot back.

"No, it doesn't; it's just that, I was doing my job, I saved someone today," Booth said.

"And what about the part where we were shot up in a hospital waiting room," Temperance said. "You never think, Seeley. You have more than one child now; you have to think of them. Think about what it would do to Max, Eliza, and Parker if something happened to you."

"I do think about them, and all I could think about today was what if that were Eliza that had been kidnapped," Booth said. This quieted Temperance. "I mean, Jethro is not an expressive person, but I saw the anguish in his eyes when we talked about Abigail."

"Oh Booth," Temperance said. She reached across the center console and placed her hand lightly on his leg. Booth placed his hand on hers and they finished the ride home that way.

* * *

_3 Days Later…_

He braced himself for the bump that he knew was coming with the landing of the plane. The plane touched down and he rested his head against the headrest. He was sure that some would find it ironic that Mossad's top agent was afraid of flying, but he didn't care. When the plane was firmly on the ground, the fasten seatbelt light went off and he immediately unbuckled his belt and stood up, stretching his legs as he did. He pulled his rucksack from the overhead compartment and pushed his way to the front of the plane and the exit. Because his plane had been so small, they hadn't seen need for a terminal, so there were steps leading down. He took the steps two at time, putting his sunglasses on as he did. Off in the distance he could see his sister's car, along with two federal looking cars.

He looked around at the people who had gathered just beyond the plane. Through the crowd he saw his sister and walked over to her. She had a wide smile on her face and immediately pulled him into a hug.

"Shalom, Ari, I have missed you," Ziva said in Hebrew.

"As I have missed you," Ari replied.

"How is father?" Ziva asked, linking her arm through his and leading him to the car.

"Very well," Ari said.

"And how are Dana and my niece?" Ziva asked as they approached the car and got inside. Ari chuckled slightly.

"Dana is doing well, she was asking about you the other day," Ari began. "And Lila is getting into everything she can. She causes her mother a lot of trouble; much like someone else I know did when they were young." Ziva rolled her eyes.

"I was never trouble for Ima," Ziva said as they pulled away from the airport. "It was always Tali that caused the trouble." They were quiet for a few moments, remembering their sister, and the Ari spoke softly.

"Why did you not tell me about your pregnancy?" Ari asked, glancing over at his sister.

"I hadn't told anyone," Ziva said, shifting slightly in her seat. "I was going to tell Anthony the night that it happened." Ziva closed her eyes briefly, holding back tears that were threatening to fall free.

"Al tid'agî," Ari said, reaching across and stroking his sister's hair. "Yiheyê besedêr."

* * *

**Al tid'agî – do not worry  
****Yiheyê besedêr – it will be okay**

**I know, just a short chapter, more of a filler than anything. Special thanks to my bestie, cable_addict, who's reaction when she learned I was bring Ari back was nothing short of fantastical. Also, PLEASE REVIEW. I feel neglected, and I only received 5 reviews for the last chapter. It really means a lot to me when you review, and I would like to thank the people who have reviewed every chapter (you know who you are). PLEASE REVIEW! Or I'll start killing, and you won't like it. **

**VAMP**


	13. Smokescreens

* * *

Chapter 13 – Smokescreens

Booth leaned over Agent Freeman and looked at the screen in front of him.

"Does everything appear to be okay?" Booth asked.

"Yes sir," Agent Freeman said.

"Agent Morrisey should be here soon to relieve you," Booth said. "If anything happens, I want you to call me right away."

"Yes sir," Agent Freeman replied. Booth clapped the younger man on the shoulder and then exited the surveillance van, pulling his phone off of his hip as he did. He dialed Temperance's number and waited for her to pick up. When the phone finally answered it wasn't Temperance that did it.

"Hi Dad," Parker Booth said brightly into the phone.

"Hey, buddy, I thought your mom wasn't dropping you off until tomorrow," Booth said, surprised to hear his eldest son's voice.

"She's going out on a date tonight, so she asked Aunt Bones is she could drop me off," Parker said. Instead of insisting that Parker call her mom once she an Booth were married, Temperance had allowed Parker to continue to call her Aunt Bones.

"Well, can I talk to Aunt Bones?" Booth asked.

"Sure," Parker said. There was muffled yelling, some thumps, and then Temperance's voice came over the line.

"Hi Booth," Temperance said.

"I'm leaving now," Booth said. "Do you need me to stop and get anything?"

"Nope, just yourself," Temperance said.

"Alright, I'll see you at home."

* * *

Anthony was sitting on the couch, twiddling his thumbs. Somehow, Ziva had managed to get him to agree to go to dinner with her and Ari, and now Anthony was waiting on them to pick him up. Anthony picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned on the Phillies baseball game. A few minutes later he heard a key tunr in the lock and the door open.

"Ziva?" he called.

"Yes, are you ready to leave?" she called from the door.

"Yes," Anthony said, turning the TV off and standing up.

"Where's Ari?" Anthony said with a hint of sneer in his voice.

"Down in the car," Ziva said, coming from the bedroom, her dress half zipped. "Help." Anthony obligingly zipped her dress up the rest of the way. As he did, he leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder.

"Thank you for doing this," Ziva said, turning and placing her hand on Anthony's cheek. "I know you don't like him." Anthony rolled his eyes; Ziva narrowed hers. "Please be civil."

"I'm always civil," Anthony said. Ziva rolled her eyes, put her shoes on and walked out the door. Anthony followed suit, making sure to lock it behind him.

When they got to the car, Ari had moved so he was sitting in the back behind the driver. Anthony got into the car on the driver's side while Ziva climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Hello, Anthony," Ari said pointedly. Anthony tried to ignore him, but Ziva punched his arm.

"Hello, Ari," Anthony grumbled.

"How is your arm? Ziva told me you were shot," Ari said, trying to be genuinely nice.

"It's better, thanks," Anthony said.

"I told Ari about our engagement and he's agreed to walk me down the aisle," Ziva said, trying to make conversation.

"Aren't you inviting your father," Anthony asked, a little bit surprised.

"No," Ziva replied sharply, causing both Anthony and Ari to look at her. "He would not approve."

"Ziva," Ari began, but she turned to look at him.

"Ari, do not," Ziva warned. Anthony watched the exchange between siblings from the corner of his eye, curious as to why Ziva wouldn't tell her father.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Anthony parked the car and the trio exited. Ziva slipped her hand into Anthony's and squeezed in a silent reminder to behave himself. Anthony smiled and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

Booth decided on that way home that he wanted to stop and surprise Temperance with flowers, so he stopped at the grocery store and hurried inside to the produce department that also housed flowers. He was looking for some daffodils when there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Angela and Jack standing behind him.

"Hey, Booth, what are you doing here?" Angela asked.

"I wanted to get Tempe some flowers," Booth said. "What about you?"

"Jack forgot to tell me that we were out of formula, so we had to come get some," Angela said, motioning to the baby in the car seat perched in the shopping cart. A year ago, Angela had announced that she was pregnant, and three months ago had given birth to a beautiful baby girl named Phoebe. Jack was the father, of course, and Angela had since moved in with him.

"Well," Jack began, but Angela shushed him.

"It was good seeing you guys, you'll have to come over soon. Eliza adores Phoebe," Booth said. Angela smiled and hugged him.

"Will do, Booth," Angela said.

Booth proceeded to pick out a bouquet of daffodils and took them to the check out. The lady at the register rung him up and he left.

Booth was about two blocks from his house when he saw the fire trucks and ambulances. He searched the sky for smoke and saw that it was coming from his house. He slammed the car into park and raced the two blocks to his house. He was right; the house was fully engulfed in flames. Throwing the flowers on the ground, he ran up the first uniformed officer he saw.

"What happened?" he panted and the officer turned around.

"We're not sure yet. All we know is that we received a call from a neighbor saying that this house was on fire," the officer said.

"Well how did it start?" Booth demanded.

"I'm sorry, we can't divulge that information to civilians," the officer said and tried to turn away from Booth but Booth grabbed his shoulder and turned him back to face him. Booth dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out his badge.

"Deputy Director Seeley Booth, FBI. That is _my_ house, and I demand to know what is going on."

"Yes sir. We don't know exactly how it got started, but we will launch a full investigation to figure it out," the officer said and it was then that Booth noticed his wife. Temperance was standing a few feet beyond the officer he was talking too, clutching Eliza to her.

"Tempe!" He yelled, and in a moment, was by her side. Booth pulled her and Eliza into a hug and felt a sense of relief when he felt them against him.

"What happened?" Booth asked.

"I'm not sure, I was in the kitchen and all of a sudden I smelled smoke." She rushed. "Max and Parker are still inside!"

"Why hasn't anyone gone in after them?" Booth asked, turning to face the officer that was still standing near him. "My sons are in there!"

"We understand that, but I've deemed the building unsafe for any of my men to enter," the officer said.

"Fuck your men, my children are in there!"

* * *

After a fairly civil dinner the Anthony, Ziva, and Ari returned to the car. The plan was to take Ari to his hotel and then Ziva and Anthony would return to the apartment. Anthony decided to take a shortcut through suburbia so they could all go home faster. When they turned onto the one street, they were met by dancing fire truck and police car lights, along with the glow of flames. Anthony parked the car and the three got out.

"I wonder whose house," Ziva said, and that was when she spotted Temperance and Booth.

"Oh my God, Anthony, it's Booth's house. They ran over to them, with Ari tailing behind. As they did, they caught the tail end of what Booth was saying to the officer.

"My children are in there," Booth yelled. At the sound of this both Ari and Anthony took off running into the burning building. Booth, seeing them go past, ran after them.

Ari was the first to enter the house, putting his arm over his mouth as he did, though it didn't do him much good. Anthony came in behind him, followed by Booth.

"Where would they be?" Ari yelled above the roar of the fire.

"Temperance was in the kitchen and couldn't get to them, so probably Max's room," Booth yelled back and started leading the way. Anthony and Ari followed him back the hallway, which was almost fully engulfed in flames.

"Parker?" Booth yelled. "Parker."

"Daddy." The three men froze, hearing the tiny voice.

"Parker?" Booth yelled, motioning for Ari and Anthony to be quiet.

"Daddy," Parker yelled again. Booth kicked down the door of Max's nursery and rushed in.

"Parker?" Booth said, looking around the room for his two sons. The closet door rattled and Parker, who was holding Max tightly, poked his head out.

"Daddy," Parker said. Ari immediately scooped Max from Parker's arms, holding him protectively against his chest. Booth picked Parker up and held him tightly against his chest.

"Daddy," Parker whimpered.

"I know, buddy, you were such a brave boy," Booth said.

"Uh, guys, I think it's time we get out of here." Anthony said, motioning to the flames that were now creeping into the nursery. The three men hurried it out of the nursery and down the hall. Just as they passed Eliza's room, and explosion rocked the house and Anthony became trapped under a falling beam. Both Booth and Ari turned to looks at Anthony. It appeared as though a beam had fallen on his leg.

"Go," Anthony wheezed. "Get the kids out."

* * *

While the men were off on their rescue mission, Ziva had taken to comforting Temperance. Ziva took Eliza out of Temperance's arms, balancing her carefully in her own and then wrapped her free arm around Temperance's shoulder.

"What are your son's names?" Ziva asked, trying to distract Temperance.

"My sons name is Max, and Booth's son's name is Parker?"

"Did you have a child before you married Booth?" Ziva asked. Temperance shook her head.

"No. Parker is Booth's son from a previous relationship."

"But Max and Eliza are yours?" Ziva clarified.

"Yes," Temperance said. Her attention was stolen by Booth and Ari running out of the house. Firefighters everywhere were yelling and running up to the two. Temperance saw that Ari and Booth both had a child in their arms and she breathed a sigh of relief. However, panic began to rise in Ziva's chest as he realized that Anthony was missing. She handed Eliza back to Temperance and ran over to Ari.

"Anthony, where's Anthony?" Ziva said, hysteria in her voice.

"He's trapped inside," Ari said as he handed Max off to a paramedic. Ziva felt tears rise in hers eyes, but before she could blink, Ari had taken off for the house again.

* * *

Anthony lay on the floor, choking on smoke. His leg was killing him and he knew that he was going to die. More debris was falling around him and he was starting to feel light-headed. All of the sudden, Ari reappeared through the smoke. He reached down and helped Anthony lift the beam off of his leg. Ari helped Anthony up and supported him so he could keep the weight off of his injured leg. They quickly made their way out of the burning house just as the roof fell in. Coughing and limping, they made their way to the nearest ambulance when Ziva immediately ran and embraced Anthony and then her brother.

"Thank you," Ziva breathed into Ari's ear and then turned her attention back to Anthony.

"What happened?" Ziva asked, trying to stay out of the way of the paramedics who were busy taking Anthony's blood pressure, pulse, and checking his leg.

"There was an explosion and a bean fell on me. I probably would have dies if Ari hadn't come back for me," Anthony said.

"You could have been killed," Ziva said. "Both of you," Ziva exclaimed, rounding on her brother as well. Just then, Temperance appeared next to them holding Max in her arms.

"Thank you," she said, kissing both Ari's and Anthony's cheeks, despite the dirt. "Thank you for saving my children." Anthony and Ari smiled.

"You're welcome."

* * *

**Ahh, how's that for action? I really had you all going there for a minute, didn't I? Special thanks to my bestie/sister/sound board for co-writing this chapter, so, everyone drop by cable_addict's profile and thank her. Please review! Please?**

**Vamp**


	14. Aftermath

Chapter 14 – Aftermath

Jethro looked up as he heard the sound of shuffling feet in the foyer. Taking his glasses off, Jethro stood up from behind his desk and walked out into the foyer where he found Anthony, Ziva, Ari, Booth, Temperance, and three small children standing there. Abigail and Tim, also having heard the commotion appeared at the top of the spiral staircase.

"What is going on?" Jethro demanded.

"Well," Booth began. "Our house caught on fire, and Anthony offered to let us stay here." After he said this, Jethro noticed the layer of grime and soot covering almost everyone standing in front of him.

"Alright," Jethro said. "Abigail, why don't you come down and help Temperance and Ziva clean the children up and put them to bed at the far bedroom. Anthony, I saw you limping, go sit down. Ari, nice to see you, I'm sure I'll find out why you're here later." At his words, everyone snapped into action. Abigail came down the steps and took Parker's hand from Booth's while Ziva took Eliza from Booth and led Temperance up the stairs. Anthony limped out to the kitchen and hoisted himself onto a bar stool at the island. He was followed by Jethro, Ari, Booth, and Tim.

"Beer," Anthony said tiredly, waving for Tim to get up and get it out of the fridge. Tim obliged and got a beer for everyone. Anthony popped the cap off of his and took a long swig. When he was finished, Jethro cleared his throat.

"What did you do?" Jethro asked. Anthony frowned.

"Why must you always assume I did something," Anthony said and then he sighed.

"Ziva, Ari, and I were on our way home from dinner when we saw the fire. When we walked up, we overheard Booth saying that his kids were still inside. Ari and I went in and rescued them. When we were leaving, a beam fell on my leg," Anthony said, bracing himself for the head slap he knew was coming, and he was right. Jethro's hand made contact with Anthony's head as he slapped him.

"What were you thinking," Jethro said. "You could have been killed."

"I was thinking that there were two children in a burning building that could have been killed," Anthony sniped back. Ari, Booth, and Tim remained silent, watching the two argue like a father and son would. Jethro then rounded on Ari.

"Why are you here?" Jethro asked.

"Ziva called me. She wants me to find your Vance character and return him to DC," Ari explained.

"And you're father allowed you to assist us?" Jethro said, his eyes narrowing.

"My father is concerned for his only daughter's safety, and if allowing me to come here and helps you helps keep her safe, than my father is more than willing to allow me to help," Ari said. Jethro continued to glare at Ari, but dropped the conversation. The men sat in the kitchen in silence, drinking their beers.

* * *

Ziva gently washed Eliza off in the bath tub, keeping her upright at the same time. Eliza was practically falling asleep and Ziva was rushing so she could get her into bed. Just then, Temperance came into the bathroom and sat on the lid of the toilet.

"Thank you," Temperance said. Ziva looked up at her and smiled.

"You're welcome," Ziva said.

"You seem to be good with children; do you have any of your own?" Temperance asked, and Ziva's smile faltered. The topic of children was still a sore subject for her.

"I was pregnant," Ziva said. "I miscarried a few weeks ago." Temperance smiled sadly and placed her arm on Ziva's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Temperance said. "I can't even begin to imagine losing a child. I was very lucky tonight."

"Yes," Ziva said, rinsing Eliza's hair out one more time. Ziva them picked Eliza up out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. Eliza stood up while Ziva dried her off and pulled one of Anthony's old t-shirts over her head. The t-shirt was large on Eliza, coming down to past her knees. Temperance picked Eliza up, who snuggled into shoulder and immediately fell asleep.

"Thank you for helping us," Temperance said.

"No problem," Ziva said, and watched as Temperance walked out of the bathroom, carrying Eliza. Ziva shut the door and slid down to the floor, her back against the wall. Tears formed in her eyes and began running down her cheeks. She clutched her legs to her chest and silently cried, mourning the loss of her own child.

* * *

Ari found his sister like this a half an hour later.

"Anthony is looking for you," Ari said, sliding down next to Ziva. "He wants to go home and go to bed."

"Where will you go?" Ziva asked. Ari smiled.

"Back to my hotel for the night; Jethro agreed to lend me one of his cars for the night, so you don't have to worry about taking me home," Ari said.

"What about after that?" Ziva said.

"I will be leaving tomorrow for Mexico. I have a contact there that might have some information," Ari said.

"Will I be able to get a hold of you?" Ziva asked.

"Of course, achȏt," Ari said.

"Please be careful," Ziva said, leaning her head against Ari's shoulder. Ari smiled and placed his arm around Ziva's shoulders.

"I will," Ari said, kissing Ziva's forehead. Ziva smiled and then stood up and walked out of the bathroom.

"Ani Ohev Otach, achȏt, Ani Ohev Otach," Ari said as he watched her walk away.

* * *

Temperance was tucking the children into bed when Booth walked in.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," Temperance whispered back.

"Are they okay?" Booth asked, leaning over and kissing Eliza on the cheek.

"They're fine. Abigail and Ziva helped me clean them up," Temperance said. They both walked out of the room and went into the next, adjoining room. Temperance sat down on the edge of the bed, and Booth sat next to her.

"Are you okay?" Booth asked his wife. When Temperance looked at him, there were tears in her eyes. Booth suspected that she had been holding them back for quite a while.

"I almost lost my children," Temperance said, her voice shaking. Booth pulled her into him and hugged her tightly.

"But they're okay," Booth said.

"But if Ari and Anthony and you hadn't gone in there, they would have died," Temperance said. Booth just hugged his wife as she continued to cry, his heart aching as well, at the almost loss of his sons.

* * *

When Ziva and Anthony arrived home, Anthony headed straight for the shower. His limping was less noticeable now.

"How does your leg feel?" Ziva asked.

"Slightly better," came Anthony's muffled reply from the bathroom. Ziva heard the water turn on, and then the shower curtain move. She waited about five minutes, allowing Anthony enough time to start washing, and then headed for the bathroom herself. She stripped down and stepped in silently behind Anthony. She tapped his shoulder and he jumped slightly and turned around.

"God, Ziva, don't do that!" Anthony exclaimed. Ziva smiled sheepishly and motioned for him to move so she could wet her hair. Anthony moved and allowed Ziva to stand under the water. She rinsed her hair out and Anthony handed her the shampoo, but she put it back on the shelf. She placed her hand on Anthony's face and smiled.

"What?" Anthony asked.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Ziva said. "A lot has happened." Anthony looked down at Ziva as she continued, her smile faltering. "I almost lost you tonight," she whispered. Anthony didn't waste any time. He pulled Ziva into him and his lips crashed down on hers.

They made love, under the hot water, and when they were finished, they crawled into bed and fell asleep, hands intertwined.

* * *

**So, did you like that chapter? If you did, you better review, Tim's life is on the line. I am three chapters ahead of this, and Tim is in a very precarious position right now. You're reviews decide if he lives or dies. If I don't get at least 10 reviews, I'll kill him. I know, I shouldn't threaten a character's life for reviews, but no one has been reviewing, which makes me depressed. **

**A special thanks to cable_addict, who also helped me co-write this chapter as well. Isn't she the best? PLEASE REVIEW!**

**VAMP**


	15. A Proposal

Chapter 15 – A Proposal

_One month later…_

They say that time heals all wounds, but only people who have been through something tragic can really answer as to if it does or not. It had been a month since Abigail had been kidnapped and almost drowned and she still refused to go anywhere near the pool. She also insisted that someone stand outside the bathroom door while she was in the shower.

Booth had offered Tim his job back at the bureau, as well as a promotion to a position on a permanent team. With Abigail's encouragement, Tim had accepted Booth's offer and resumed his job at the FBI.

As well as offering Tim his job back, Booth had also offered Anthony a position at the FBI Academy in Quantico so he could start training to be an agent. Anthony had accepted after much prodding from Ziva and was due to start in September after he and Ziva were married.

Booth and Temperance had started rebuilding their house. Official investigations reports had come back saying that the fire had started in the hallway because of faulty wiring, but Booth was suspicious. Booth and Temperance had since moved out of the mansion, despite Jethro's generous offer to stay. The renovations on their house were almost finished and they had been allowed to move back in.

So far, Ari had had no luck in tracking Vance. He'd followed him from Mexico to Bolivia to Argentina, but had found no shred of evidence that Vance had been in the country at all. He'd been reporting back to Jethro and Booth, and trying to use some of Ziva's contacts, but no one had heard anything to date. Everyone was frustrated, but an optimistic Abigail was sure that there would be a break soon.

Every since the night in the bathroom, Ziva and Temperance had become fast friends. Neither could explain why they were drawn to each, but they felt as if they had known each other forever. Ziva had asked Temperance to her bridesmaid and Temperance had cheerfully accepted.

* * *

Abigail looked up as Tim walked into her room and sat down on the edge of her bed. Abigail smiled and continued doing what she had been doing before he had entered her room, packing. Tim had asked her to spend a weekend in the cabin his parents had left him and his sister when they died.

"All ready?" Tim asked. Abigail looked up at him and glared.

"Almost, we can't all be like you men and throw a clean pair of socks and underwear into a backpack," Abigail retorted. "Anyway, what is there to do up there anyway? I don't know what to pack."

"Jeans, if you own any, a swimsuit, a sweatshirt, shirts," Tim ticked off. Abigail rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"What do I need a swimsuit for?" Abigail asked nervously as she fidgeted with the shirt she was holding.

"Just in case." Tim said.

"Tim," Abigail began.

"Abby, I know," Tim said, cutting her off by using the pet name he had created for her. Abigail looked at him, fear clearly showing in her eyes.

"Abby, I will never, ever, let anything happen to you again," Tim said, taking her hand in his.

* * *

_Earlier that same day…_

Jethro looked up as a knock sounded on his door. Tim was standing in the doorway looking extremely nervous. Jethro nodded and Tim came into his office and sat down.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Tim began. Jethro leered at him over his glasses.

"Go on," Jethro said.

"I would like your permission to ask Abigail to marry me," Tim said, nervously waiting for Jethro's reaction. Jethro studied him for several long minutes before he answered.

"Are you serious about my little girl?" Jethro asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I would do anything for her," Tim said honestly. Jethro was silent for several more minutes and then looked at Tim.

"You had better take very good care of my baby girl," Jethro said.

"I will," Tim reassured him.

"Very well, you have my permission," Jethro said. Tim smiled, stood up, and shook Jethro's hand.

"Thank you."

* * *

Ziva was in her room, sitting at her desk, having her nightly webcam chat with Ari.

"Any luck today?" Ziva doubted that he had, but out of habit, she asked anyway.

"_No, but I asked around at a local bar," _Ari paused and smirked_, "the bartender recognized the picture of Hal Jackson." _Ziva's ears perked up.

"Really?" Ari nodded.

"_He has been a regular for the past two weeks."_

"Vance?" She asked hopefully. Ari shook his head.

"_No such luck." _Ziva cursed in Hebrew and rubbed her temples warily. After a minute, Ari spoke.

"_Is there anything new with you that is worth mentioning?"_ He smirked. Ziva looked up, grinning.

"Yes, as a matter of fact." She paused. "Anthony and I have set the wedding date. I am getting married in two months, and you are going to be there." She sent a threatening look over the webcam and Ari laughed.

_"I will. I promise." _Ziva smiled and closed the lid of the computer just as Anthony walked into the room.

"Ari?" he asked, sitting down in the chair next to her.

"Yes," Ziva said.

"Is he having any luck?" Anthony asked. Ziva shook her head.

"I told him he must come back in time for our wedding," Ziva said. Anthony rolled his eyes and Ziva punched him.

"Anthony, he is walking me down the aisle. I want my older brother to be there," Ziva said.

"I know," Anthony said as he put his hand up to her cheek. "I love you."

"And I love you."

* * *

A few hours later, Tim and Abigail arrived at the cabin. It was up in the mountains, set among a languid mountain retreat resort. Tim's parents had been extremely wealthy and spared no expense. The cabin boasted three bedrooms, with their own bathrooms, a large kitchen, family room, deck, hot tub, and pool. Tim hauled their bags inside, with Abigail following in awe.

"Wow, Tim, our summer house isn't even this big," Abigail said. Tim returned smiling.

"Why don't you go into the family room?" Tim asked as he took Abigail's coat from her. Abigail wandered down the hallway to a family room that was only lit by the light of the fire in the fireplace. There were cushions and pillows scattered across the floor as well as a champagne bucket and two crystal glasses.

"Oh, Tim," Abigail said, simply stunned. Tim smiled and hurried to pour the champagne, making sure his back was turned to Abigail. Abigail was too busy taking in her surroundings to notice when Tim pulled something from his pocket and dropped it into her glass. Tim then turned towards her and handed her the glass of champagne.

"To us," Tim said simply. Abigail smiled.

"To us," she repeated, lifting the glass to her lips. She was about to take a sip when she stopped, spying something silver in the bottom of her glass. "Tim?" she asked, looking up at him. Tim handed her a spoon and she fished it out. "It" was a beautiful silver engagement ring.

"Abigail, I know that we haven't been together long," Tim said as he took the ring from her and got down on one knee. "But I feel like I've known you forever. And I know that I want to protect you forever, I want to come home to your smiling face. This ring was my grandmother's, and she and my grandfather were married for fifty years before she died. My only wish is to be married to you for that long." Abigail began crying silent tears as she gazed down upon Tim. "Abigail Nicole Gibbs, will you marry me and be my wife?"

"Yes, of course, yes," Abigail said through her tears. Tim slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up and wrapped her into his arms.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear before his lips crashed against hers.

* * *

**How bout that season finale folks? Anyway, please read and review. I know it's short, but it's a filler of sorts. Special thanks to cable_addict, my bestie/partner in crime, for helping co write this chapter? Isn't she the best? Please review... the threat about Tim still holds. I can easily go back and change the ending of the chapter I just wrote.**

**REVIEW! PLEASE! I'll give you your choice of virtual cookies or alcohol...**


	16. About Face

Chapter 16 – About Face

The next morning, Abigail awoke in a huge bed, covered in a white downy comforter. There was a note and a rose next to her on the pillow. She smiled, smelled the rose, and read the note.

_Abigail –_

_I went down to the store to get things for breakfast. I will be back soon. Until then, stay in bed and enjoy the rest._

_I love you, Tim_

Abigail's smiled widened. She rolled back over on to her back, and was startled to see Tim standing in the doorway.

"I didn't think you'd be back so soon," Abigail said. Tim didn't answer. Now that she was paying closer attention, Abigail noticed that Tim was as white as a sheet. "Tim, what's wrong?" Tim pulled his hand away from his stomach to reveal a red stain spreading across his white shirt.

"Oh my God, Tim!" Abigail screamed.

* * *

Ari slunk down behind some bushes, his gun in his hand, tense and waiting. He was just outside of Vance's hiding spot, waiting for some of Vance's men to return after their daily visit to the cantina in the town. After much searching this lead, given to him by a friend in central intelligence, had paid off. Vance and his men were stowed away in a small cabin in the middle of the jungle. The nearest town was fifteen miles away and the nearest hospital was forty. Despite the location, Vance had access to electricity, phone service, and the internet, which had allowed Ari's friend to track him.

Ari quieted his breathing as he heard loud, drunken voices approaching his hiding spot. Ari flicked the safety off on his gun and stepped out from the trees.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Ari said, his gun trained on the man in the middle.

"Who are you?" the one on the left asked.

"That's not really important," Ari said.

"I'll think you'll find it is. This area is supposed to be restricted," the middle man said.

"I'm here to extradite Leon Vance back to the United States, know where I can find him?" Ari said, starting to bluff.

"On what charges?" the man that had spoken first asked.

"Kidnapping, assault, attempted assault, murder, the list could go on for days," Ari said.

"So, you're telling us that the FBI sent one agent to collect him, with no back up?"

"I never said I was with the FBI," Ari said smugly, his finger tightening on the trigger. "I'm Mossad." Ari pulled the trigger and shot the man in the middle clean through the forehead. The other two men, thoughh drunk, whipped out their guns surprisingly fast and began shooting. Ari could hear more men coming from the direction of the house and he knew that he couldn't win. He started running into the jungle, the way he had arrived, but not before a bullet hit him in the leg. Cursing in a mix of Hebrew and English Ari continues running, pain shooting through his leg the whole way.

* * *

Ziva was sitting on the couch reading a magazine while she waited for her and Ari's daily web chat when the doorbell rang. Not expecting any visitors, Ziva got up and answered the door, only to find Dana, her sister-in-law, standing there holding a sleeping Lila.

"Thank God," Dana said in Hebrew as she pushed past Ziva into the apartment.

"Dana," Ziva said, clearly surprised as Dana laid Lila down on the couch and surrounded her with pillows. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I know you're getting married soon and I thought you could use some help," Dana said and Ziva just looked at her.

"And," Ziva prompted.

"And," Dana continued, sighing, "I miss Ari. I was lonely. I hate it when he leaves," Dana confessed as a few tears leaked out of her eyes. Ziva opened her arms, inviting her sister in for a hug which Dana gratefully accepted.

"Did he tell you I was pregnant again?" Dana asked. Ziva pulled away from her and shook her head. "He probably didn't get the message yet. I only found out just before I left Tel Aviv."

"Where are your bags?' Ziva asked.

"Still down in the rental," Dana replied.

"Why don't you go lay down in the spare room with Lila and I'll bring your bags up," Ziva said.

"Actually, I was going to ask you if you could watch Lila for a bit while I run some errands," Dana said. "I need some things for her that I left in Tel Aviv."

"Sure," Ziva said, glancing down at her niece's sleeping form.

"Thank you," Dana said, kissing Ziva on the cheek. "I will be back soon." Dana hurried out the door, leaving Ziva with three year old Lila. Ziva sat down on the edge of the couch and watched the little girl sleep, and the image brought tears to her eyes.

* * *

Anthony was working on some of the accounts for Jethro when his phone started buzzing. He looked at the caller id and answered it once he saw that it was Ziva.

"Hey, babe, I'll be home in a little bit," Anthony said.

"_Well, you should brace yourself,"_ Ziva said on the other end of the line.

"Why, what's wrong?" Anthony asked, immediately concerned.

"_Dana, my sister-in-law, showed up along with my niece to stay until the wedding,"_ Ziva explained. Anthony put his pen down and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well, that's nice," Tony said. "Are they staying with us the whole time?"

"_Of course they are, Anthony, she is my sister, I cannot make her stay at hotel for two months," _Ziva said, outraged at the fact that he would even suggest she send them to a hotel.

"I'm sorry, Ziva. Of course they can stay at the apartment," Tony said, sighing silently to himself.

"_If you don't want them too, you can always pay for the hotel," _Ziva quipped.

"No, they can stay." Secretly, Tony wasn't sure that this was a good idea, but he wasn't about to get into an argument over the phone.

"_Alright, I'll see you when I get home," _Ziva said.

"I love you," Tony said.

"_Love you too," _Ziva said and then she hung up.

* * *

**Sorry again for the shortness, but it is only a filler. And I know, I'm just pure evil for the cliffy.... I guess you'll have to review to find out what happens next. Special thanks to cable_addict, who also helped write this chapter as well.... isn't she amazing?**

**REVIEW!**


	17. Before You Wake

Chapter 17 – Before You Wake

Previously on All In The Family…

_The next morning, Abigail awoke in a huge bed, covered in a white downy comforter. There was a note and a rose next to her on the pillow. She smiled, smelled the rose, and read the note._

_Abigail –_

_I went down to the store to get things for breakfast. I will be back soon. Until then, stay in bed and enjoy the rest._

_I love you, Tim_

_Abigail's smiled widened. She rolled back over on to her back, and was startled to see Tim standing in the doorway._

"_I didn't think you'd be back so soon," Abigail said. Tim didn't answer. Now that she was paying closer attention, Abigail noticed that Tim was as white as a sheet. "Tim, what's wrong?" Tim pulled his hand away from his stomach to reveal a red stain spreading across his white shirt._

"_Oh my God, Tim!" Abigail screamed._

* * *

"Tim," Abigail screamed again as he collapsed onto the floor. Abigail jumped out of bed and ran to him, her fingers already dialing 911 on her cell phone. "What happened?" she asked.

"Vance's men," Tim wheezed out. "Shot me."

"_911, what's your emergency?"_ a female voice said on the other end of the phone Abigail was holding.

"My fiancée, he's been shot," Abigail said hysterically into the phone.

"_Ma'am, what's your address?"_ the operator asked. Abigail shot Tim a look.

"91 Lark Lane, Highland Heights," Tim said and Abigail repeated the information to the operator.

"_Alright ma'am, help is on the way. I'm going to stay on the line until they get there and instruct you to do some things, can you do that?"_ the operator said.

"Yes," Abigail replied, trying to calm herself.

"_You need to keep your fiancée warm, cover him up with a blanket. Then you need to put pressure on the wound_," the operator instructed. Abigail flew to the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and on her way back through the room, snagged a blanket off of the bed. As she covered Tim up, she heard sirens screaming off in the distance. Abigail then began to put pressure on Tim's wound, swallowing her nausea as the blood seeped through the towel and onto her hands. The sirens grew louder and louder, until they were screaming outside of the house.

"They're here now," Abigail said to the 911 operator.

"_Alright_," the operator said and then hung up, just as three paramedics burst into the room. One of them moved Abigail gently out of the way while the other two started working on Tim.

"My name is Mary," the paramedic that pulled Abigail away from Tim said. "You're Abigail, right?" Abigail numbly nodded as she watched the other paramedics work on Tim. "Do you want to come with us?" Abigail nodded again. "Alright," the paramedic said gently. "Why don't you go change?" Abigail looked down at her nightgown and realized she was covered in blood.

"Alright," she said shakily. She snagged a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt from her open suitcase and went into the bathroom to change. When she returned, they had Tim ready to go on the stretcher. Mary placed her arm around Abigail and walked her out to the ambulance, following Tim.

* * *

Anthony was just about to leave the mansion to go home when the phone started ringing. Jethro had left over an hour ago for a business dinner so Anthony quickly grabbed the phone.

"Gibbs residence, Anthony speaking," Anthony said, answering the phone. For a few seconds there was silence.

"_Tony?"_ Abigail finally said, using the name for Anthony that she hadn't used since middle school.

"Abigail, what's wrong?" Anthony asked, immediately sensing the distress in her voice.

"_Tony, Tim's in the hospital, he was shot_," Abigail said in a tiny voice. _"Can you come to the hospital?"_ This time she spoke, Anthony could hear the tears in her voice.

"_Of course," Anthony said. "Where are you?"_

"_Highland Heights General,"_ Abigail said.

"I'll be there, Abigail."

* * *

Booth was just about to sit down to dinner with his family when his phone rang. He shot Temperance an apologetic look and answered it.

"Director Booth," he said.

"_Director? This is Agent Freeman. Anthony just called and said that Agent McGee has been shot."_

"Where?" Booth asked.

"_Highland Heights General. I've already sent a protective over there, sir."_

"Keep me updated," Booth said and hung up. Temperance looked at him questioningly.

"Tim was shot."

* * *

Dana and Ziva were in the middle of getting dinner ready when Ziva' phone rang. Ziva carefully stepped around Lila, who was playing with a pot and a wooden spoon on the floor, and snagged her phone off of the counter.

"Hello," Ziva said.

"_Ziva, it's me,"_ Anthony said on the other line.

"Anthony, where are you?" Ziva said, exasperation clear in her voice. "Dinner is almost ready."

"_I'm on my way to Highland Heights General. Tim was shot. Abigail asked me to come be with her, we can't reach Jethro,_" Anthony explained. Ziva quieted.

"Anthony, please be careful," Ziva said, her voice now a whisper.

"_I will, I'll call you later and let you know what's going on. I love you,"_ Anthony said.

"I love you too," Ziva said, and she heard the phone on the other line disconnect. Sensing her distress, Dana went over to Ziva and placed her arm around Ziva's shoulder.

"Ziva, what's wrong?" Dana asked.

"Tim was shot," Ziva said. "Anthony is going to the hospital to meet Abigail. I want you and Lila to spend the night at a hotel."

"And leave you all by yourself? I don't think so, besides, two Mossad trained women are better than one."

* * *

When Tony arrived at Highland heights General, he found Abigail in the waiting room, her feet jiggling nervously. When she saw Anthony enter the waiting room she ran to him and flew into his arms.

"Oh Tony," she sobbed into his shoulder. Anthony hugged his surrogate sister tightly, feeling her warm tears soak through his shirt.

"It's okay, Abs," Anthony said, stroking her hair, using the name he had nicknames her with in the 6th grade. "What did the doctor say?" he asked, leading Abigail back to the chair she had been sitting in and sitting down with her.

"They took him into surgery to remove the bullet. They said he'd be okay, but Tony, there was so much blood," Abigail said as she once again buried her head into Anthony's chest. Anthony squeezed her gently and continued to stroke her hair.

"It'll be okay, Abs."

* * *

Ziva and Dana were getting Lila ready for bed when Ziva heard her computer chime, signaling that someone was trying to view her webcam. She beckoned to Dana to put Lila on the floor and to be quite and lead her over to the computer. She click the accept button and a few seconds later, Ari appeared onscreen.

"Shalom, Ari," Ziva said, attempting to conceal her smile.

"_Shalom, Ziva_," Ari replied. "_Is everyone alright?"_

"No, Tim was shot this afternoon," Ziva said. "They're operating on him now to remove the bullet."

"_Other than that?"_ Ari asked and Ziva shrugged her shoulders. A knock sounded in the background of Ari's end and he held up a finger to Ziva. "_Just a moment, room service is here,"_ Ari explained and walked away from the computer. As he did, Ziva noticed his limp and the bloody bandage around his leg. Ziva waited until the bellhop had left the room before screeching at her brother.

"What the hell happened to you?" Ziva yelled. This sent a wave of panic through Dana and she walked around the desk and leaned over Ziva to see what the fuss was about. When Ari saw his wife on screen, he faltered.

_"Dana_," he began, but she cut him off.

"Don't change the subject," she demanded. "What happened to your leg?"

_"I was shot,"_ Ari admitted to the two women.

"How?" Ziva asked.

_"I found Vance's hiding spot, shot one of his men in the head. If you ask me, I think I got the better end of the deal_," Ari said.

"Don't joke about this," Dana spat. "You have three people depending on you at home."

_"Three?"_ Ari asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, three," Dana said, changing the tone of her voice. "You're going to be the father again." There was silence for a moment, and then a wide smile spread on Ari's face.

_"Really?"_ Ari asked. Dana simply nodded._ "I wish I could kiss you right now."_

"We miss you," Dana said, brushing a tear away from her eye.

"_Where's Lila?"_ Ari asked. Ziva got up out of the chair, retrieved Lila from her spot on the floor where she was playing with a soft toy, and brought her back over to the computer.

"Say hi to Daddy," Dana said, directing Lila's attention to the computer screen. Lila looked at the screen and squealed in delight at the sight of her father.

"Abâ," she pronounced very clearly. Ari's smiled got even wider.

_"Yes,"_ Ari said, _"Abâ loves you."_

"And we love you too," Dana said. "So come home."

* * *

**Awwww... see, I have a heart... maybe. Review, if you want to fins out what happens to Tim. Because I really could kill him still.**

**Special thanks to cable_addict for all of her help. She's a fantastic friend and I would be totally lost without her. Check out some of her stories. She has a lot of really great ones! REVIEW!**


	18. Beyond Here Lies Nothing

Chapter 18 – Beyond Here Lies Nothing

Temperance approached her husband quietly. Ever since dinner he had been silent. She was sure that he was worried about Tim, but he also looked like he was struggling with something.

"Seeley?" Temperance asked tentatively. Booth, who was lying on the bed, rolled over to look at her. "Are you okay?" she asked. Booth sighed.

"Tempe, I want you to take the kids and go to Russ's house for a while," Booth finally said. This shocked Temperance, she hadn't been expecting him to say something like that.

"Why?" Temperance asked, her temper flaring slightly.

"Because you're not safe," Booth said. "You know they said that fire was electrical, but we had just had the house inspected. There's no way we had faulty wires.

"So you just want me to leave? Leave you? Leave my job?" Temperance asked in outrage.

"Tempe, I don't want anything to happen to you or the kids," Booth said.

"Seeley, you know that I am more than capable of protecting this family if need be," Temperance said.

"Is that why we had to go back into a burning building to get Parker and Max?" Booth asked quietly. Temperance faltered.

"I couldn't get to them," Temperance said quietly.

"Yeah, that's why two men who have never even met our children before risked their lives to save them. Anthony almost died," Booth said, his voice now raised. Temperance didn't say anything, but rather ran out of the bedroom. Booth got up and followed her down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Booth asked her as she came to a stop in the foyer and put her coat on.

"I don't know, but anywhere but here sounds good right about now," Temperance said and then she slammed the door.

* * *

After they had successfully put Lila to bed, Ziva decided to make mojitos and popped a movie into the DVD player.

"You know that I can't drink, right?" Dana pointed out as she eyed one of the drinks sadly. Ziva bit her lip.

"I guess that I will have to drink it all." Dana glared at Ziva and threw a pillow at her sister in law. They were just about to start when a knock sounded at the door. She was surprised to see Temperance standing at her door with tear tracks on her face.

"Temperance, what's wrong?" Ziva asked, stepping aside and allowing her friend to enter. Temperance walked into the apartment and allowed Ziva to take her coat.

"Seeley and I got into a fight." Temperance said, taking a shaky breath.

"About what?" Ziva asked, guiding Temperance to the couch and sitting beside her. Dana had gotten up when Temperance had knocked and had moved to sit on the arm of the couch.

"He wants me to take the kids and go to my brother's house, but I don't want to and I said I was more than capable of protecting my family, and he…" Temperance trailed off.

"He didn't hit you, did he?" Dana asked and Ziva shot her a nasty look.

"No, he said if I was so good at protecting my family, why did two strangers have to go running in and save my children from the fire." Temperance said, a fresh wave of tears running down her face. Ziva smiled sadly and pulled Temperance into a hug.

* * *

Several hours after Anthony arrived at the hospital, the still had heard nothing. Abigail had long since fallen asleep from mental exhaustion, her head resting on Anthony's lap. Anthony sighed and looked at his watch. Tim had been brought to the hospital at one, Abigail hadn't called him until four and he had arrived at six. It was now eleven at night. Anthony sighed and ran his hand over his face. Just then a doctor approached him. Anthony gently shook Abigail awake.

"Are you the family for Tim McGee?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Anthony said. "How's Tim?"

"Well, we successfully removed the bullet from Tim's stomach, but he lost a lot of blood and is currently in a coma. He's in the recovery room now and he'll be moved into the ICU shortly, and you can see him then. You can tell the protective detail they can station themselves outside his room," the doctor said.

"Thank you," Anthony said, shaking the doctor's hand. The doctor smiled and walked away.

"See, Abs," Anthony said, turning to face Abigail. "I told you everything would be okay."

* * *

At a quarter after one in the morning Seeley Booth found himself knocking on Ziva's apartment door. He had spent the time since Temperance's departure trying to figure out where she was. He had called Angela first, think that Temperance would be there, but Angela and Hodgins had been at dinner with Angela's father and hadn't heard from her. Booth had tried Cam next, only to remember halfway through the phone ringing that she was on vacation in the Bahamas. The next logical choice had been Ziva's.

Booth was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that the door had been opened and that there was a woman standing there, watching him intently.

"Can I help you?" Dana asked.

"Who are you?" Booth asked, clearly taken aback. He check the number on the door, just to make sure that he was indeed at Ziva's apartment.

"A hormonal woman with a three year who won't sleep because of the time difference, who are you?" Dana replied shortly.

"I'm a husband that wants to apologize to his wife and take her home," Booth said. Dana eyes him up and down.

"So you're the famous Deputy Director Booth," Dana said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Booth asked.

"I'm Dana Haswari, Ziva's sister-in-law," Dana said, stepping aside and allowing Booth to walk into the apartment. Booth could see a little girl in the corner standing up in a playpen and babbling to herself.

"Where's Temperance?" Booth asked, looking around and not seeing his wife anywhere.

"Well, she's in the bathroom with Ziva. They were drinking and she had a little too much," Dana admitted sheepishly. Booth just shook his head and smiled.

"Tempe never could hold her liquor," he said, heading for the bathroom. When he got to the doorway he found a tipsy and tired looking Ziva holding Temperance's hand while she retched into the toilet. Booth waited for Temperance to finish before speaking.

"Ziva, why don't you go to bed? I'll take over from here," Booth said. Ziva smiled gratefully, whispered something to Temperance's ear before getting up off of the floor and leaving. Temperance lifted her head up from the toilet and looked at Booth.

"Why are you here?" she slurred. Booth walked over to her and sat down, taking Ziva's vacated position behind Temperance.

"I came to bring you home," Booth said.

"Kids?" Temperance asked, clearly wanting to know where the children were if Booth was her.

"Don't worry, I called Rebecca and she agreed to come stay with them until we get back," Booth said. There was silence between the two for a few minutes before Booth spoke again. "I'm so sorry about what I said, Tempe. I'm just so terrified of something happening to you or the kids."

"I'm sorry too," Temperance mumbled. Seeing that she was beginning to fall asleep, Booth gently picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom. Dana was sitting in the living room when he went out, holding a sleeping Lila.

"Can you get the door?" Booth asked quietly. Dana nodded and got up, put Lila in her playpen, and walked to the door with Booth and opened it for him. "Thank you," Booth whispered. Dana smiled and closed the door behind him. Walking over to the play pen where Lila was now sound asleep, Dana looked at her little girl.

"You know," Dana said, carefully moving a piece of hair that had fallen in Lila's face. "He's not half bad."

* * *

**So, a big special thank you to cable_addict for typing this chapter up for me (don't ask). Anyway, please review, pretty please? It makes me happy, and we all want that (because if I'm not happy people will die)**


	19. Know Your Enemy

Chapter 19 – Know Your Enemy

Abigail slowly approached Tim's bed. Anthony was standing in the doorway, waiting for the floodgates to open, which they surely would. Abigail placed her hand on Tim's and squeezed it. Leaning over, she brushed the hair out of his face with her free hand. She placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered into his ear.

"Come back to me Tim. Please." Abigail said quietly, the tears that she had been trying to stop now falling freely. She felt Anthony beside her and she turned into him, burying her face in his chest.

"What the hell happened?" A voice from the door said and both Anthony and Abigail looked up to see Jethro standing in the doorway.

* * *

At four in the morning Ziva felt Anthony step in bed next to her. He immediately pulled her into his side and buried his face into her hair. Ziva turned over to kiss him

"How's Tim? She mumbled, still half asleep.

"They got the bullet out, but he's in a coma." Anthony said. Ziva placed her hand on his and laced their fingers together. In the dark, Anthony's lips found hers and kissed her again, but this time it was different, more urgent then before. Ziva was happy to respond to the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Anthony rolled them over so he was on top, still kissing Ziva. Ziva reached down and pulled the tank top she was wearing off and she lifted her hips to allow Anthony to pull the pajama pants she had been wearing off. Anthony allowed his mouth to trail down her neck and over her collarbone. Taking one of her breasts in his hand, he began to massage it gently causing Ziva to moan and nip his bottom teeth with her teeth. Anthony moved his hand lower, tracing circles on Ziva's stomach. He brushed the top of Ziva's pelvis lightly, causing her hips to buck. She emitted another moan as Anthony allowed his hand to trail further down, teasing her with his touch. It was working because Ziva was unbuttoning his shirt and she began running her nails over his chest, causing him to shiver. She reached down further and unbuckled his belt and pulled his zipper down.

"Now" she whispered, her voice dry and raspy from panting. Anthony reclaimed her mouth with his while he shed his pants and entered her. The minute he did, Ziva's hips bucked widely again. Anthony pulled out slightly and then entered her again, pushing harder and deeper. Ziva took a deep shuddering breath and let loose a moan. This sent a wave of excitement through Anthony, and he increased his pace. He could feel Ziva's muscles tighten in response to her growing pleasure. Just when he was sure she was about to release, she surprised him by flipping him over so she was on top. She ran her nails down his chest and over his nipples and she could feel him shudder beneath her.

"Ziva," he moaned and she smiled leaning over, she pressed her mouth to his and rode him harder. They both released at the same time and Ziva bit down hard on Tony's shoulder to keep from screaming. They both collapsed in a heap of exhausted tangled limbs. Anthony reached over and brushed some hair out of Ziva's eyes and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you."

* * *

Jethro watched his daughter sleep from the doorway of Tim's hospital room. One of the nurses had brought a reclining chair from the dialysis wing for Abigail to sleep in. She was now sleeping, curled up in a ball, her one hand holding Tim's. Jethro sighed and rubbed his eyes. His family had been through so much. Up until Booth had offered Anthony a spot in the FBI academy, Jethro had been considering retiring and leaving the business, but he knew Anthony would have hated him for it. Jethro too one last look at Abigail and then turned and headed for the nurses' station. He needed coffee. Tapping his fingers on the desk one of the nurses looked up.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Cafeteria?" Jethro asked.

"First floor," The nurse replied shortly. Jethro nodded at her and headed for the elevator where he was surprised to see Tobias waiting for him.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to go for coffee." Tobias said as they both stepped into the elevator.

"I was watching Abigail." Jethro said.

"It never gets easier, does it?" Fornell asked. He had a daughter of his own, Emily, who was attending Waverly University, studying to be a teacher.

"No, Tobias, it never does get easier." Jethro said.

"We have some information," Tobias said, causing Jethro to look at him.

"What kind of information?" Jethro asked.

"There's traitor in the FBI." Tobias said. "There were very few people that knew where Abigail and Tim were going to be this weekend. Don't you find it a tad convenient that Vance sent his men right to them? This was no accident Jethro."

"Does Booth know?" Jethro asked.

"I've already told him. He put me in charge of investigating the agents assigned to your case." Tobias said.

"You find the traitor, Tobias, before I do, because I want his head on a platter."

* * *

The first thing Tim was aware of was the intense pain in his stomach and the annoying beep next to his ear. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy for him. He was vaguely aware of something or someone holding his hand. He tried again to open his eyes and was successful; even if they were open only a sliver. He turned his head slightly to the right and saw Abigail fast asleep on a chair next to his bed. He tried to say her name, but found that his throat was too dry. He swallowed a few times and then tried again.

"Abby," he managed to whispered hoarsely. She twitched but didn't wake up. Tim tried again, a little louder than before. "Abby," This was enough. Her eyes opened and she looked up at Tim. Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw that Tim was awake. She quickly got up off of the chair and went to his side, moving his hair out of his face.

"You're awake," she whispered softly, smiling.

"What happened?" Tim asked, looking around.

"You don't remember?" Abigail asked, and Tim carefully shook his head no.

"You were shot," Abigail explained, "in the stomach. You've lost a lot of blood. It was one of Vance's men."

"No," Tim said. "It was Agent Freeman."

* * *

**Ooooooh, hot dayum! I bet no one saw that coming (cable_addict, you don't count) I don't remember if cable_addict typed this chapter for me or not, but I'm going to thank her anyway, because she's made of win (even when she sleeps until 8 at night... *rolls eyes*) Anyway, there are only 6 more chapters, and I'm sure that I will finish writing beofre I'm ready to post, so remember to review, because reading the end hinges on you reviewing, now go review!!**


	20. Recoil

Chapter 20 – Recoil

It was very early in the morning when Booth became aware of his phone ringing. He looked over at Temperance, who was still sleeping, and probably would sleep through most of the morning, and then rolled over and grabbed his phone off of his bedside table, mumbling a hello into the speaker.

"'Lo?" Booth said.

"_Booth,it'sAbigail,Vance'smendidn'tshootTim,AgentFreemandid," _Abigail said, all in a rush.

"Whoa," Booth said. "Abigail, slow down."

"_Tim is awake. It wasn't one of Vance's men that shot him. It was Agent Freeman,"_ Abigail said slower.

"Abigail, is Tim sure?" Booth asked, already out of bed, putting his suit and tie on.

"_Yes,"_ Abigail said.

"Alright, Abigail, where's Jethro?" Booth asked.

"_In the cafeteria with Agent Fornell."_

"Call him. Tell him and Agent Fornell to stay in the room with you and Tim until I get there," Booth instructed and then hung up. He then shook Temperance awake.

"Tempe, I know you're tired and hung over, but you need to wake up," Booth said. Temperance groaned and rolled over halfway to look at Booth.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm going to bring the kids in here, keep them with you. When I leave, lock the door. I'll send Agent Langer over. Don't let him in until he tells you something only I would know about you. Okay?" Booth asked as he put his shoes on. He reached over to the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his spare Glock and handed it to Temperance. "Tempe, if anyone besides myself or Agent Langer tries to get in here, shoot them."

Booth raced down the hallway and returned a few minutes later carrying a sleeping Max and shepherding Eliza and Parker, who were both rubbing their eyes sleepily. Booth tucked them into his and Temperance's bed and kissed them each. Parker opened his eyes and looked at Booth.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Parker asked. Booth looked at his oldest son.

"Parker, I want you to listen to Bren. You do whatever she tells you too. If she tells you to take your brother and sister and hide in the bathroom, you do it. You lock the door and don't come out until she or I tell you it's okay. Do you understand?" Booth said to his oldest son. Parker shook his head. Booth kissed the top of his head.

"I love you, buddy," Booth said.

"Love you too, Dad," Parker said with a yawn, and then went back to sleep. Temperance appeared from the bathroom, dressed in sweats. Booth went over to her, pulled her against him, and kissed her.

"I love you, Seeley," Temperance said once Booth had released her lips from his.

"I love you too," Booth replied. "Lock the door."

* * *

Anthony and Ziva awoke to a pounding on their door a mere three hours after they had fallen asleep. Anthony pulled on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and went to answer the door, only to find two FBI agents outside.

"Can I help you?" Anthony asked. Ziva came up behind him, holding her black robe closed.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked. Anthony looked pointedly at the two agents standing in the doorway.

"Excellent question," Anthony said.

"Deputy Director Booth sent us. There's a mole in the FBI and we've been tasked with protection of the apartment until Director Booth calls us off," the male agent replied.

"How do we know you're not the moles?" Anthony asked.

"Director Booth told us to thank Ziva for taking care of his wife last night," the female agent replied. Anthony looked at Ziva.

"Well?" Anthony asked.

"Last night Temperance came over and got drunk. I sat with her until Booth came. No one would know that except Booth, Dana, and myself," Ziva said. Anthony stepped aside and allowed the two agents to enter.

"I'm Special Agent Sullivan and this is Special Agent Perotta," the male agent said.

"Would you like some coffee?" Ziva asked.

"Yes, that would be wonderful," the agent that was clearly Perotta answered.

"Zee, I'll make the coffee. Why don't you go put some clothes on and tell Dana what's going on," Anthony said. He waited until Ziva was out of earshot before turning to the two agents. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Agent McGee woke up from his coma and accused Agent Freeman of shooting him. Director Booth has ordered protective details to his house and your apartment," Agent Perotta said.

"Agent Freeman?"

* * *

Temperance was sitting on the chair in her bedroom when she heard a noise. She looked at the kids, who were all fast asleep, except for Parker, who was looking at her with wide eyes. Another noise sounded down the hallway. Temperance was fairly sure that if it were Agent Langer, he would have made his presence known by then.

"Parker," Temperance whispered. "Take you brother and sister into the bathroom, lock the door." Parker nodded and shook Eliza awake.

"Liza," Parker whispered, "go into the bathroom." Eliza did as Parker told her and he followed her, Max in his arms, still sound asleep. Temperance positioned herself in front of the bedroom door, the gun cocked and ready to shoot.

"Who's there?" Temperance called out.

"Dr. Brennan?" a voice replied. "It's Agent Freeman, Director Booth sent me to check on you and the kids. Open the door."

"What did Booth tell you?" Temperance asked, knowing that there was no way she would voluntarily open the door.

"What are you talking about?" Agent Freeman asked, his voice closer to the bedroom than it had been before.

"Booth said he would tell the agent that was coming over something about me that only he knew, so I would be able to trust them. He would have told you something no one else knew about me," Temperance baited. She waited, her breath held, seeing what Freeman's answer would be.

"Your name used to be Joy Keenan," Agent Freeman said. Temperance shook her head. That was common knowledge; it was in her file, as well as her parent's criminal file.

"Wrong," Temperance said. "Almost everyone knows that, it's in my file."

"Dr. Brennan, please just open the door so I can make sure you and the children are safe," Agent Freeman said, more aggression in his voice this time.

"No, I can't do that. I can't put my children in danger," Temperance said.

"Dr. Brennan, I must insist that you open the door," Agent Freeman said, louder and more violent.

"You helped kidnap poor Abigail, you told Vance's men where we would all be together, so messed with the wires in our house so it caught on fire, you shot Agent McGee," Temperance yelled. "Why should I let you in here?" There was silence and then the door slammed open, obviously kicked down.

"Because I have a gun," Agent Freeman said.

"So do I," Temperance said.

There were two gun shots, only two, and then the only sound in the house was that of Max crying.

* * *

**Sorry about the long wait. I was having issues with writer's block, as well as feeling swamped with LiveJournal duties. Hopefully, now that I've battled with my muse to get the upcoming wedding written, things will move much more quickly. Please review!**

* * *


	21. No Charges

* * *

Chapter 21 – No Charges

Agent Booth had only just arrived at Highland Heights General when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen and saw that it was the house. He opened the cell phone and answered.

"Tempe, what's wrong?" Booth asked. There was no immediate answer, but the sound of a child crying and sniffling. Finally, Parker's voice came across the line.

"Daddy," Parker said. "Something's wrong."

"What happened, buddy?" Booth asked, a sense of dread overcoming his whole body.

"Bren made me take Eliza and Max into the bathroom because she heard something. I heard her yelling and then there were gunshots. She told me to stay in the bathroom until you or she came and got us," Parker said. Booth's stomach clenched. Something had happened to Temperance; Freeman was at the house, with his children.

"Alright, Parker, do you remember Agent Perotta?" Booth asked his son.

"Yes," Parker replied.

"I'm going to send her over to the house. You do whatever she says when she gets there. She'll give you a code word, so you'll know it's okay, alright, buddy? You just stay in the bathroom until she gets there." Booth pressed the end button and then dialed Agent Perotta's number.

"Payton, I need a favor."

* * *

Ziva was making pancakes for Anthony and Lila when Agent's Perotta's phone rang. She answered it and a few minutes later, she closed it and whispered something in Agent Sullivan's ear and then left. Ziva watched Agent Sullivan from the corner of her eye as she put the pancakes on a plate and set one in front of Lila and set the other at Anthony's chair.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked casually, turning back to the stove.

"Nothing of your concern," Agent Sullivan said. "Director Booth needed Agent Perotta elsewhere."

"Is Temperance alright?" Ziva asked.

"I'm sure she and the children are just fine," Agent Sullivan said. Ziva smiled to herself. She had gotten him to inadvertently admit that something was wrong at the Booth household. Just then Anthony walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Ziva turned to him and sent him a look. He got back up out of his chair and walked over to her. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair, so she could speak quietly.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Something's wrong with Temperance and the kids. Booth just called Agent Perotta and she left in a hurry," Ziva whispered back as she cooked herself pancakes. Anthony squeezed Ziva' side gently.

"I'm sure Temperance and the kids are fine," Anthony said, and he placed a kiss on the top of her head and returned to his chair.

* * *

Special Agent Payton Perotta approached the house with her gun drawn. Booth had told her that he didn't know what had happened inside and that she should be cautious. The front door was hanging open, and she was surprised that the neighbors hadn't called the police upon hearing the gunshots. She carefully stepped inside the door and trained her gun around. No one was there, so she proceeded to go down the hallway. She could see the open bedroom door, and the puddle of blood seeping out into the hallway. Payton slowly peered around the door. She saw Agent Freeman in a heap, just inside, and then on the floor at the foot of the bed was Temperance. Payton holstered her gun and ran over to Temperance's lifeless form on the floor. The only injury that she could see was a small head graze that was bleeding slightly. She knew that that must have been what caused Temperance to fall unconscious. She knew how painful a head graze could be. Payton pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

After Payton had called 911, she walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.

"Parker, it's Agent Perotta," she said. "Can you let me in?"

"What did Daddy tell you?" Parker replied.

"That the most beautiful thing in the world is a perfect spiral," Payton said. She waited, and finally heard the sound of a lock click, and then the doorknob began to turn. Parker poked his head out. She opened the door the rest of the way and walked into the bathroom. Parker had placed Max and Eliza in the tub and Eliza was currently holding Max. Payton picked Max up out of the tub and grabbed Eliza's hand.

"Kids, I want you to listen to me very closely. I'm going to lead you out of the room. I want you to shut your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you too, alright?" Both Eliza and Parker nodded and then squeezed their eyes shut. Payton led them through the bedroom and noted that Temperance was beginning to come around. She hurried the kids out to the family room and sat them down on the couch.

"Don't go anywhere, alright?" Payton said and they nodded. She rushed back to the bedroom and found Temperance sitting up and holding a hand to her head.

"What happened?" Temperance asked.

"Well, from the looks of things, I'd say you shot the traitor," Payton said as she helped Temperance said. "I called an ambulance."

"I'm fine," Temperance said, waving Payton's help away.

"Dr. Brennan, you need to get your head looked at, at least. Besides, I don't think the children would respond very well to seeing their mother's face covered in blood," Payton argued. Temperance considered this for a moment, and rational thought led her to believe that Payton was right. She sat down on the edge of the bed wearily.

"Take them to Ziva's please," Temperance said. Payton nodded.

"As soon as you get in the ambulance."

* * *

Ziva sat down in front of her computer and started the connection to Ari's webcam. Agent Sullivan had just told them that Agent Perotta was bringing over Temperance's children until she was done at the hospital. Ziva was going to talk to Ari before they got there and things would be too busy. She watched the black box, wait for Ari to accept. Several minutes later the screen wavered and Ari appeared.

"Shalom, Ari," Ziva said, speaking in Hebrew.

"_Shalom, Ziva, __slih'a," _Ari said.

"What are you sorry for?" Ziva asked, still speaking in Hebrew. She didn't want Agent Sullivan knowing what she was saying.

"_I lost Vance, he and his entire crew have left and I can't trace them," _Ari said. Frustration settled into Ziva. She knew it wasn't her brother's fault that Vance had disappeared, but she felt like she wanted to be angry.

"Just come home."

* * *

**So, I just finished writing chapter 23 and you're not going to like it at all. You're gonna hate me, actually, but more about that later. Please review. And I'm sorry for the long wait. there was this little imp named writer's block living inside my head and he wouldn't let me work, but I bashed him and he's gone now. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	22. Bring on the Wonder

Chapter 22 – Bring on the Wonder

_2 Months Later…_

Temperance hadn't been charged with anything for shooting Agent Freeman, seeing as it had been self defense. Her head wound had also healed quite nicely. Tim had also recovered from his shooting and had been cleared for duty the previous month. Ari had returned home two days after he had lost Vance, with apologies to Booth and Jethro. He and Dana were still staying with Ziva and Anthony, despite Anthony's many protests.

* * *

Ziva groaned and lifted her head from the toilet. It was the day of her wedding and she was as sick as a dog. She had the faintest hint of what might be causing it, and if she was right, she knew that it wouldn't last all day. Ziva hauled herself up off the floor and brushed her teeth quickly. She knew that Dana would be back soon to get her and take her, Abigail, and Temperance to the salon to get their hair done. She hurried into her room and pulled on sweats and a button down shirt. Anthony had already taken her dress and other various assorted items to the church, where she would be getting dressed. All she had to do was get her hair and nails done. Another wave of nausea surged through her, but she fought it off. While she was ecstatic that she might pregnant again, she wondered why it couldn't have come at a better time?

Ziva was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of a knock at the door. Knowing that was Dana, Abigail, and Temperance, she yelled through the apartment.

"Come in." She heard the sound of a door opening and then several people moving around.

"Ziva, are you ready?" Dana called from the hallway. Ziva slipped a pair of flip flops onto her feet and walked out to where everyone was congregated.

"Yes, I am ready," Ziva said.

* * *

Anthony paced nervously. He was in his old bedroom at the mansion and he was nervous as hell. He knew that this was what he wanted, he'd waited this ever since the first time he took Ziva out, but now that the day was here, second thoughts were clouding his mind. A knock sounded at his door and he looked up.

"Come in," he called. Jethro opened the door and came in.

"How are you feeling?" Jethro asked. Anthony smiled nervously and chuckled.

"Nervous," Anthony admitted. Jethro sat down on the edge of Anthony's bed and motioned for him to do the same. Jethro took a box out of his pocket and held it out to Anthony.

"I know you that already have your wedding bands picked out, but I thought that you might like to give Ziva your mother's," Jethro said. Anthony took the box from Jethro and opened it. Sitting in the crease of the box was his mother's wedding band. Anthony smiled at the memories it brought back.

When his mother was alive, every night before bed she would put on lotion. She would take her rings off one by one and hand them to Anthony carefully. Anthony would sit very still on the bed so he wouldn't drop them and patiently wait for his mother to be done. She would then take the rings back from Anthony one by one. When she had replaced them all on her fingers, she would kiss him on the cheek and tell him that she loved him.

"Thanks," Anthony said quietly, looking over at the man he had looked up to as a father. "This," Anthony trailed off. "This really means a lot to me." Jethro smiled and put his hand on Anthony's shoulder.

"How bout I take you out to lunch while the girls are getting ready?" Jethro asked. Anthony smiled.

"Sure."

* * *

Ziva looked at herself in the mirror. Abigail and Temperance had helped her get dressed while Dana put Lila in her dress. The hairdresser and makeup artist had done an amazing job. Her hair had been twisted up and pinned in various places so her curls looked volatile and sexy. Her eyes were shadowed with a pale pink, as well as her lips. He dress hugged her curves in all the right spots, and as far as she could see, she still didn't have a bump yet. Feeling someone squeeze her hand, she looked away from her reflection and saw Temperance next to her, fussing with her veil.

"Are you nervous?" Temperance asked. Ziva smiled and nodded.

"What does it feel like?" Ziva asked,

"It's the best day of your life," Temperance replied. Ziva smiled again and was about to speak, but was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Come in," Dana called without looking up. The door opened and Ari looked around the corner of the door.

"Ladies," Ari said as he walked into his room. "I was wondering if I could have a moment alone with my sister." Abigail and Temperance smiled at Ziva before grabbing their bouquets and leaving. Dana paused before leaving to kiss her husband, and then Ziva and Ari were alone.

"Are you nervous?" Ari asked. Ziva nodded.

"Yes, does every bride feel this way?" Ziva asked. Ari smiled and motioned for Ziva to sit next to him on the couch. Ziva did carefully, so as not to muss her dress, and she leaned onto Ari's shoulder.

"You look beautiful," Ari said. "Like your mother." Ziva blinked back tears.

"I wish she was here," Ziva said. Ari took her hand in his and squeezed it.

"But she is here with you," Ari said. "She and Tali are in your heart. She would have been proud of you, you know that, right? Ziva nodded and Ari pulled her in closely. They stayed like this until a knock sounded at the door and Dana poked her head in.

"We're ready," she said. Ziva stood up first, wiping her tears away and Ari followed, holding his arm out for Ziva to take.

* * *

Anthony stood nervously at the end of the aisle. He had previously been rocking back and forth until Jethro had clamped his hand on Anthony's shoulder; a sure sign that if he continued, he would be head slapped in public. Jethro stood behind him as his best man, with Tim and then Booth next to him. Anthony looked into the pews and could see an older man with Parker, Eliza, and Max. He concluded that this must be Temperance's father, recruited for babysitting duty. He could also see Ducky sitting with Jimmy and a few other mob people. On Ziva's side he could see Temperance's team from the Jeffersonian sitting about midway. Ziva had started getting to know them and they had all become fast friends.

Anthony turned his attention towards the door as the organ began playing the wedding march. Abigail appeared first, followed by Dana and Temperance. The music rose and then Ziva appeared on Ari's arm. Anthony's face broke into a smile. She looked beautiful. He turned to sneak a glance at Jethro, who was beaming proudly like a father would. Ari escorted Ziva down the aisle in time to the music. They finally reached the alter and Ari lifted Ziva's veil over her face and kissed her on the cheek. Ziva then turned towards Anthony and took his hand.

The service was short, the vows standard, but the whole room could see the love that was reflected in Anthony and Ziva's eyes. After the service was over, the required pictures were taken and then they got into the limo and headed for the reception.

Anthony and Ziva had a limo to themselves and once they were situated, Ziva snuggled into Anthony's side. Anthony popped the cork off of a champagne bottle and poured two glasses and handed one to Ziva. Ziva studied the glass and then handed it back to Anthony.

"I can't drink," Ziva said. Anthony looked at her, a confused look on his face.

"Why? Because you'll have to go to the bathroom later? Don't worry about that, isn't that what your bridesmaids are for?" Anthony said.

"No," Ziva said, a teasing smile on her face. "Because I'm pretty sure that women who are expecting are frowned upon for drinking." Anthony looked at her, to her stomach, back to Ziva's face. Slowly, a smile spread across his face.

"Really?" he asked with the excitement of a little kid who has discovered a puppy under the Christmas tree. Ziva smiled and nodded. Anthony looked back down at her stomach and tentatively placed his hand on her stomach. Ziva placed her hand on top of his, the other wiping away a tear that had strayed down her cheek. Anthony looked back up at Ziva and took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"I love you, Ziva DiNozzo," Anthony said after they had pulled away.

"And I love you," Ziva replied.

* * *

**Awwwww..... they're married, FINALLY! Come on people, please review. I know you're reading, you can't hide from me!! I see you, hiding in your computers.... not reviewing! REVIEW!!**


	23. All We Know Is Falling

**So, a special thank you needs to go out to my friend spoonyriffic from LJ for encouraging me to finish this chapter and her excellent reaction upon reading certain parts. If you ask nicely, I might show you her reaction in the next chapter. Also, another special thanks needs to go out to my bestie, cable_addict, for all of her support and help in writing this fic. Before you ask, no, this is not the last chapter, this is the second to last. I'm debating on writing an epilogue, but I started one and it didn't feel right, and I kind of like where I left the last chapter at. So, enjoy, and please keep the screaming at the end to a minimum. **

**Oh, and by the way, for clarification; the italics are for a different point of view. I was trying to show two things stimultaneously. **

* * *

Chapter 23 – All We Know Is Falling

After the reception things went back to normal. Anthony and Ziva went on their honeymoon in the Bahamas. Ari, Dana, and Lila returned to Israel. Booth and Temperance took the kids on vacation to Myrtle Beach for a week. Life in the DiNozzo mansion went on.

The night before they were supposed to leave, Ziva lay in bed, still in her bikini from the day at the beach. The TV was on in the background but she wasn't really paying attention. She had been having the feeling that something bad was going to happen all day and she was just happy that she and Anthony weren't flying back that night. She heard the bathroom door open and Anthony stepped out, dripping wet, and in nothing but a towel. He walked over to Ziva and shook his head in her general direction, sending water droplets flying over her stomach. Ziva smiled and rolled away.

"Anthony, stop it," she scolded half heartedly.

"I told you I would get you back for dunking me," Anthony said as he crawled up onto the bed with her.

"Anthony, get off the bed, you're getting the blankets wet," Ziva squealed as he pulled her towards him.

"Your point?" he asked as he lowered his lips to hers.

* * *

Jethro was sitting at his desk looking over paperwork when he heard the noise. It was the sound of glass shattering and it had come from the foyer. Knowing that it could only be one thing, Jethro got up and went to look. As he had predicted the rose vase lay shattered on the floor, the roses and their petals scattered about on the floor. Jethro looked around to see what could have caused the vase to fall. He knew that Abigail and Tim had been upstairs since dinner, and that Ducky was in the basement as usual, taking care of Palmer. That was when he was hit by a bullet.

_Anthony's lips traveled from Ziva's mouth to her neck, in the sensitive spot on her collar bone. Ziva moved her head, allowing Anthony more access for his mouth to roam. He reached behind her and pulled the strings of her bikini top and pulled it off._

Jethro looked at his shoulder where blood was no blossoming across his shirt. He hadn't heard the shot, which meant whoever did it was using silencers or was sniping. Jethro looked around, trying to see where the bullet could have come from. When he turned around, he came face to face with Vance.

"It's not nice, is it?" Vance asked, gun in hand. Jethro had his gun as well, at the small of his back, but there was no way to get it without alerting Vance.

"Why are you doing this?" Jethro asked.

"Because you killed my family."

_Anthony's mouth continued its venture south, stopping at her breasts. He swirled _his_ tongue over each one, drawing moans from Ziva. He could feel her body shuddering underneath him. His hands reached down to stroke her thighs and she sighed._

"What do you mean, I killed your family?" Jethro asked, completely stunned. He knew that before Vance had moved here, he had never met him before. He didn't know how he could have possibly killed Vance's family.

"You don't even remember? Let me refresh your memory. You had just joined Sal DiNozzo and he sent you on a hit in San Francisco. You were in an accident and never made it to kill your target, but you did kill someone else. There was a woman and a little girl in that car, and they both died. They were my wife and daughter." This memory flickered some memories awake for Jethro. He remembered that night, it had been raining and the road was slippery. There had been a dog on the road, and he had swerved to avoid it. Instead of hitting the dog, he had hit the oncoming car.

"You blame that on me?" Jethro asked. "It was an accident. Even the police deemed it as an accident."

_Anthony continued his trail of kisses down Ziva's stomach and she lifted her hips and allowed him to slide her bikini bottom off. His towel had fallen off long ago and they were both naked. Anthony moved to attack Ziva's lips again and Ziva trailed her hands up and down Anthony's chest, causing him to shudder._

"Doesn't matter," Vance said shrugging. "As far as I'm concerned it's your fault. And I've been trying to get back at you ever since. I wanted to kill you years ago, but I ended up killing your wife." Anger shot through Jethro. Jenny's murder had never been solved and he had always wondered who had take his wife and unborn child from him, and now he knew.

"So, you're a baby killer. You killed my wife's baby when you killed her and you killed Ziva's baby. And those were intentional, unlike the death of your wife and daughter," Jethro said.

"Doesn't matter, I've won," Vance declared. As he spoke, Jethro began smelling smoke coming from the upstairs. "My men have already killed your daughter, her fiancée, your friend, and his nephew. And now, I'm going to kill you." Jethro decided that it was time to go for his gun and he did.

_Anthony dragged his hands slowly up and down Ziva's thighs. He could feel her muscles quivering. She caught his lip between her teeth and sucked gently, alternating with nipping. She could feel his breath catch and he moaned every time she nipped at his lip. Their bodies were slicked with sweat from the humid Caribbean air and their current activities. _

Vance saw that Jethro was going for something and shot him again. This shot hit him several inches to the right of his heart, using the last of his strength, Jethro whipped his gun out and shot Vance right through the head. As he fell to the ground the pain and heartbreak finally registered. Abigail was dead, Ducky was dead, everyone was dead.

_Anthony slipped inside of Ziva and rocked gently at first and then moved faster and faster. Ziva moaned and began moving in rhythm with Anthony, her hips matching his rock for rock. Anthony reached his hand down in between Ziva's legs and found the little nub that always brought her pleasure. He began circling it with his thumb in time with their hip thrusts. He could see her hands start to clench into fists and knew she was close to coming. _

Through his haze of pain, Jethro could now see the flames licking along the stairs and the smoke pouring out of second floor. So, this was how he was to die. Two bullet holes and fire; but he was prepared to die. He watched helplessly as the flames crawled down the wall and the smoked drifted down. He was finding more and more difficult to breathe, and finally, he gave up.

_With one last groan, Anthony could feel Ziva tighten as she came. Her screams of pleasure reverberated throughout the hotel room. With one last thrust, he too, came. He groaned and shuddered and collapsed next to Ziva on the bed. She rolled over onto her side and looked at him. He too, rolled over so he was facing her and gently moved a piece of hair that was in her face. He leaned over and kissed her gently._

"_I love you," he whispered. _

"_I love you too," she replied._

* * *

***shrinks away from angry readers and projectiles that may be thrown* Remember, please keep the screaming to a minimum. Thank you!**


	24. Lose You

Chapter 24 – Lose You

Booth surveyed the wreckage of the house that he and his family had called home for a short while. The mansion had completely burned to the ground and the fire chief was saying that they had found six bodies inside. Booth wasn't stupid; he knew whose bodies were there. Sighing, he looked down to check his phone. He had been waiting until he knew that Anthony and Ziva were back from their honeymoon to call them. He had just called the airport and had been told that their flight got in at nine thirty. It was now nine forty. Figuring that he had given them plenty of time to turn their phones on, Booth dialed Anthony's number.

* * *

Ziva and Anthony had just gotten off of the plane and turned their cell phones on when Anthony's began ringing. Ziva looked at him questioningly as he answered it.

"Hey, Booth," Anthony said. "We only just got back, what's up?"

"_Anthony, are you sitting down?"_ Booth asked.

"Why?" Anthony said as he sat down on the nearest chair and motioned for Ziva to do the same. "What happened?"

"_As soon as you get your luggage, I'm going to need you to come out to the mansion. Anthony, there was a fire."_

"Is everyone okay?" Anthony asked.

"_Anthony, Vance killed everyone before the house burned down." _Anthony pulled the phone away from his ear, a horrified look on his face. Realization hit Ziva full force as she remembered the bad feeling that she had had yesterday.

"Anthony, what happened?" Ziva asked, shaking him slightly.

"They're gone."

* * *

Anthony and Ziva pulled up to the remains of the mansion. There were still firefighters and FBI agents everywhere. Parts of the mansion were still smoking and firefighters were picking through the remains. Off to the side of the lawn six sheet covered lumps lay. Ziva's grip on Anthony's tightened. She had cried the whole way there and tears were still making their way down her face. They cut through everyone and found Booth, who was standing near the sheet covered bodies. With sympathetic eyes, Booth spoke.

"At nine last night, neighbors saw smoke and called 911. When firefighters arrived, they found the house fully engulfed in flames."

"How did..." Ziva trailed off as she stared tearfully at the six covered lumps.

"Shot." Booth answered and he noticed that Anthony swallowed hard. He put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"All of them?" Anthony asked tightly.

"As far as we can tell, Abigail, Tim, Ducky, Palmer, Jethro, and Vance. That's probably the only good thing about this; Jethro managed to shoot Vance before he went down," Booth said. Ziva stifled a sob and Anthony pulled her closer to him. "Listen, we don't need you here. Why don't you guys go home? I'll call you if we need you for anything."

* * *

Ziva approached Anthony tentatively. He had been silent ever since they had arrived home. She had given him some space; putting away their clean clothes, starting the laundry, taking a shower, but now she knew that she had to talk to him. If she didn't, he would close up. She laid her hand on his shoulder and he barely glanced up. He did, however, place his hand on top of hers. She sat down next to him and lay her head on his shoulder. She felt his body shudder with a choking sob as he turned into her and pulled her tightly against him.

They sat there like that for hours. Holding each other, comforting each other, each wishing they could take each other's tears and make them go away. Finally Anthony pulled away from Ziva, his face dry, although his eyes were slightly red. Ziva still had tears running down her face. Anthony wiped them away slowly with his thumb.

"Everything will be alright," he told her.

* * *

Ziva jumped slightly as they fired the guns for twenty one gun salute. The haunting sound of Taps was playing in the background and Tim's sister was crying by the coffin, holding the flag they presented to her. Ziva jumped again as they fired once more and Anthony squeezed her hand. She had always hated this part of funerals in Israel. They had buried Abigail, Ducky, and Jimmy yesterday and they were going to bury Jethro after this, in a private ceremony that only they would be attending. After the last of the guns went off, Ziva detached herself from Anthony and went over to Sarah, Tin's sister. Sarah looked up at her and Ziva held out her arms. Sarah flung her arms around Ziva and began sobbing. Ziva patted her hair and hugged her tightly.

"If you ever need anything, just call us," Ziva whispered. Sarah pulled away from her and smiled slightly.

"Thank you so much, for everything you've done," Sarah said and then she walked away back to the car. People were beginning to file out of the cemetery until only Anthony and Ziva remained. They walked away from Tim's grave over to a different one a few yards away. Ziva had her fingers laced through Anthony's and they both stared at the coffin. Ziva clutched Anthony's hand tightly. After moments of silence, Anthony began walking away, pulling Ziva gently with him, and she knew that he had given Jethro a silent goodbye.

As they walked away, the sun began to set, turning the sky a deep and unearthly red, and Ziva knew that they would never be able to forget what happened.

* * *

**Thank you all for coming with me on this amazing journey. First of all, I would like to thank my bestie, cable_addict, for helping me write, kicking my ass, writing for me, and being my best inspiration. She is the best friend a girl could ask for. Another special thanks goes out to my friend, Spoonyriffic on LJ, for helping me write the smut and on her wonderful reaction to the death of one of her favorite character's. You rule, spoony! **

**Also, I would like to extend my appreciation to all of my loyal readers and reviewers, espcially those that have reviewed every single chapter and been with me the whole time. You guys are awesome and you rock my socks off!!**

**Keep an eye out for my new fic, Fighting Temptation, coming soon!**


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